Leaf Pack Experiments Stream Ecology Kit
Got bugs in your stream? This complete kit helps students discover the value of macroinvertebrates as living indicators of water quality. A totally reusable and flexible tool, this kit can be adapted for varying time limits, number of students, and grade levels.
Conducting a leaf pack experiment by placing artificial leaf packs in streams replicates the natural process of leaves forming packs in streams and can be an important tool for understanding the structure and function of stream macroinvertebrate communities. The basic idea is that leaf packs will become colonized by macroinvertebrates. The relative abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrates found in the leaf packs can be used as an indicator of the stream habitat quality and an indicator of water quality.
Kit Includes:
6 Mesh bags
1 Waterproof marker
1 Sieve (500 micron mesh)
6 Sorting trays
60 Plastic Petri dishes
6 Waterproof, color coded, illustrated sorting sheets
2 Thermometers
1 Hand-held scale
12 Brushes
12 Spoons
2 Rulers
6 Hand lenses
1 MacroLens™ magnifier
1 Nylon twine
6 Zipper-top bags
1 Set of 21 full-color flashcards
1 Instructor’s manual with record sheets
1 Dichotomous Identification Key to Freshwater Macroinvertebrates
1 Tree finder booklet
Please note: this kit asks you to create "leaf packs" and place them in a stream for a few weeks. Keep this timing in mind when planning your experiment.
