preservation of animals. Theory class.ppt

Preserving

1. Preservation of representative
animals of various phyla

2. Sampling soil organisms
Tosurveythesoilorganismsofaselectedareaand
determinetheirrelativeabundance
Materialsrequired
FieldGuides
Coffeecan
MaterialsforBerleseFunnel
Plasticsamplebags(largeenoughforsoilsamples)
Tweezers
Magnifyingglass
Microscopes

3. Procedure
•Forstudy,collectatleasttwentysoilsamplesin
locationsthatincludeasmanyhabitatsas
possiblefromfieldarea.
Itwillalsobenecessarytospreadthesamplesites
outasmuchaspossible.
Themostproductivesamplesusuallycomefrom
moist,shadedareaswithabundantleaflitter
coveringtheground.Samplesmustbeprocessed
thesamedaythattheyarecollected.

4. •Tocollectsamples,useacoffeecanwith
thebottomremovedsothatbothendsare
open(recordthevolumeofthecoffeecan
used).
Pressthecanintothesoiluntilitstopislevel
withgroundlevel.
Thenremoveallofthesoilwithinthecan
andplaceinasamplebag.Labelandplot
thelocationofeachsampleonamaporan
aerialphoto.

5. •Aftercollectingthesample,caveinthewallsof
theholeleftbythecanandleveltheareaasbest
aspossible.Thiswillpreventanysmallanimals
fromfallinginandgettingtrapped.
•InLab,placethesoilsampleinatrayand
removeanylargeorganisms.
•Identifytoorderusingtheattachedkeys.Then
grouptheindividualsineachorderbasedon
similaritiesinappearance.Thisisdeterminingthe
morphospeciesofeachorder.

6. •Recordthenumberofindividualsofeach
morphospecies.
•Itwillbenecessarytopinandprepare
organisms.
•Ifitisnotpossibletopintheinsectswithina
dayofcollectingthem,puttheminafreezer
untilitispossible.

7. •Identifycollectedorganismstoasspecificlevel
aspossiblewiththekeys.
•Nosoilorspecimensshouldbethrownaway.
Allofthismaterialneedstobeturnedinwiththe
finalproject.
•Ifthesoilsamplesarenotyieldingmany
organisms,trymakinganinfusionbyplacing
somedrygrassfromtheareainajarof
springwater.
After3daysstartexaminingthewaterforany
microorganisms.Thenfollowallappropriatesteps
asdescribedabove

8. ATullgrenfunnel,alsoknownasBerlese
funnelorBerlesetrap,isanapparatususedtoextract
livingorganisms,particularlyarthropods,fromsamples
ofsoil.
Itworksbycreatingatemperaturegradientoverthesample
suchthatmobileorganismswillmoveawayfromthe
highertemperaturesandfallintoacollectingvessel,where
theyperishandarepreservedforexamination.
Funnel(E)containsthesoilorlitter(D),
andaheatsource(F)suchasanelectric
lamp(G)heatsthelitter.Animals
escapingfromthedesiccationofthelitter
descendthroughafilter(C)intoa
preservativeliquid(A)inareceptacle(B).

9. Sampling water organisms
Zooplankton
Crustaceans,Protozoans,ciliates,
Aquaticinsects,Leeches,Mussels,
snails,fishes
http://www.usask.ca/biology/skabugs/
Groupingaquaticorganisms
Plankton(openwatercommunities)=
phytoplanktonandzooplankton
Benthos(bottomcommunities)
Fish(organismsthatgowheretheychoose)
Deadstuff=detritus

10. •Surfacewatersamplecanbe
obtainedbydipping,buteithera
batterypowered,peristalticpump
usedwithmeteredtubingattached,
oraspecializedwatercollecting
bottle.
•Observeundermicroscope
Forslightlylargerorganisms,such
asmostzooplankton(animal
plankton),averyfinemeshnetcan
beusedtoseparatethemfromthe
waterduringthesamplingprocess.

11. Fish Sampling
Gillnetshangverticallyinthewater
becausetheyhavefloatsalongthe
topandweightsalongthebottom.
Fishswimintothenetsandbecome
entangled.
seinenetto
capturefishnear
theshore
Aminnowtrapsetonthebottom
ofalake.Minnowsswimintothe
trapthroughasmallholeinoneend
andthencan’tfindtheirwayout.

12. Fixation
•Thefixationofbiologicalspecimens
involvesthecoagulationofcellcontents
intoinsolublesubstanceswiththepurpose
topreventautolysisandthedegradationof
tissue.Fixationcoagulatesandstabilizes
proteininspecimenssothattheydonot
distortor deteriorateduring
preservation,studyandstorage.
•Formalinisgenerallythepreferredfluidfor
fixationandiswidelyused.Invertebrates
typicallyrequireonly4%formalin.

13. •Infish,amphibians,reptiles,birds,and
mammals,theratioofformalintocarcass
mustbeatleast12to1toassureagood
fixation.
•12mlto1cm
3

14. Preservation
•Processthatservestokeepthedeadbodyofan
organismfromdecay,inpartorinwhole,
presumablytobestudiedlater.
•Bothvertebratesandinvertebratescanbepreserved
influidorasdryspecimens.
•Generallypreferredisalcohol.
•Thestandardis70-75%ethylalcoholorethanol
•40-50%isopropylalcoholisusedonsomeanimal
taxa.Ittendstomakethembrittleovertime.For
thisreason,oneneedstobufferitwithafewdrops
ofglycerinandapinchofcalciumcarbonate.
•5%formalin

15. InsectPreservationRelaxingmethods
Sometimesinsectsyoucollectmaygettoodry
andbrittlebeforeyouhavetimetopinthem.
Theirbodypartsareeasilybrokenwhenyou
trytopinthemorspreadtheirwings.
Butterfliesandmothsaregoodexamplesof
this.Dryspecimensshouldberelaxedbefore
theyarepinnedortheirwingsspread.A
relaxingjarisusedtoputmoisturebackinto
dryinsectssotheywillbemoreflexible.

16. InsectPreservationRelaxingmethods
Flatplasticcontainerwithanairtightlid
makesanidealrelaxingdish.
Baselinedwithmoistcottonwoolor
syntheticspongesaturatedwithwaterand
coveredwithablottingpaper.
Asheetofblottingpaperisalsoplacedon
theinsideofthelidtoavoidcondensedwater
tofalloverthespecimens.
Thedryinsectsarekeptintherelaxingdish
andthedishsealedandleftatleastforaday.

17. RelaxingChamber
Alternativelyrobustinsects(e.g.mostbeetles)
canbequicklyrelaxedbydroppingtheminto
nearboilingwater.
Smallspecimenswillsofteninafewseconds,
whereaslargeonesrequireaminuteortwo.
Largemothsandbutterfliescanalsobe
relaxedbyinjectinga10%solutionof
ammoniaorhotwaterintothethorax.

18. Preservation of Invertebrates
Dry Method
Sponges
Wearhandgloves
Putunderclear,runningwaterrinseandsqueezetodrain
outexcesswater
Forremovingthesmell,thespongeisthenplacedina
containerofalcoholwithalidfor48hours.
Beforedryinglargespecimens,labelsareattachedby
meansofstring,threadedthroughthebodyofthesponge.
Dryitinthesun
Whenthoroughlydried,spongesarekeptinsmall
boxessupportedwithtissuepaper.
Paradichlorobenzeneornaphthaleneflakesmaybe
addedtodrycontainers.

19. Echinoderms(asteroidsandophiuroids)
Cleaninamilddetergentsolutionthatismostlywater
andverylittledetergentanddryinthesun.
Soakthestarfishimmediatelyinalcoholfor48hours
andforegocleaningit.Itisthenallowedtodryinthesun.
Soakitinformalin,whichis1partformaldehydeand5
partswater,andthendryitproperly
Whiledryingitisnecessarytoputweightoneveryarm
ofthestarfish,orelsetheywillcurlup

20. Preservation of Invertebrates: Wet method

22. Preservingananimal'sbodyviastuffingor
mountingforthepurposeofdisplayorstudy.
Taxidermyispractisedprimarilyonvertebrates
(mammals,birds,fish,reptiles,andlesscommonly
onamphibians).
Taxidermy
Museumsusetaxidermyasamethodtorecord
species,includingthosethatareextinctand
threatened,intheformofstudyskinsandlife-size
mounts.

23. •Traditional skin mount
•Freeze dried mount
•Reproduction mount
•Recreation mount
•Study skins
Methods

24. Theanimalisfirstskinnedinaprocesssimilarto
removingtheskinfromachickenpriortocooking.
Dependingonthetypeofskin,preservingchemicalsare
appliedortheskinistanned.
Itistheneithermountedonamannequinmadefromwood,
woolandwire,orapolyurethaneform.
Clayisusedtoinstallglasseyes.
Formsandeyesarecommerciallyavailable.
Traditional skin mount

25. Freeze dried mount
Anincreasinglypopulartrendistofreezedrythe
animal.
Theinternalorgansareremovedduringpreparation;
however,allothertissueremainsinthebody.(The
skeletonandallaccompanyingmusculatureisstill
beneaththesurfaceofthefur.)
Theanimalispositionedintothedesiredpose,then
placedintothechamberofaspecialfreezedrying
machinedesignedspecificallyforthisapplication.
Themachinefreezestheanimalandalsocreatesa
vacuuminthechamber.
Pressureinthechamberhelpsvaporizemoisturein
theanimal'sbody,allowingittodryout.

26. Tanningisthechemicalprocessofturningarawskin
whichissusceptibletobacterialdegradationintoa
stable,durableproductwiththermalstability.The
skinisthenscouredtoremoveinnergreases,fats,
dung,bloodetc.Thenitgoesintowhatisknownasa
picklesolutionwhichisacidandsaltbrine.
Scour:cleanorbrightenthesurfaceof(something)by
rubbingithard,typicallywithanabrasiveor
detergent.
Chemicals:trivalentchromiumandvegetable
tanninsextractedfromspecifictreebarks.Alum,
syntans(man-madechemicals),formaldehyde,
glutaraldehyde,andheavyoils.

27. Theprocesscanbedonewithreptiles,birds,andsmall
mammalssuchascats,rodents,andsomedogs.
Thedrawbacktothismethodisthatfreezedriedmounts
areextremelysusceptibletoinsectdamage.Thisisbecause
theycontainlargeareasofdriedtissue(meatandfat)for
insectstofeedupon.Traditionalmountsarefarless
susceptiblebecausetheycontainvirtuallynoresidual
tissues(ornoneatall).
Regardlessofhowwellataxidermymountisprepared,all
taxidermyissusceptibletoinsectdamage.Taxidermy
mountsaretargetedbythesamebeetlesandfabricmoths
thatdestroywoolsweatersandfurcoats.

28. Donotinvolvepreservingtheactualbodyoftheanimal.
Instead,detailedphotosandmeasurementsaretakenof
theanimalsoataxidermistcancreateanexactreplicain
resinorfiberglassthatcanbedisplayedinplaceofthereal
animal.Noanimalsarekilled.
Endangeredandprotectedspecies,suchastherhinoceros,
arehuntedwithriflesloadedwithtranquilizerdartsrather
thanrealbullets.Whiletheanimalisunconscious,the
hunterposesforphotoswiththeanimalwhileitis
measuredforthepurposeofcreatingareplica,orto
establishwhatsizeofprefabricatedfiberglasstrophyhead
canbepurchasedtomostcloselyapproximatetheactual
animal.
Reproduction mount

29. areaccuratelifesizerepresentationsofeitherextantor
extinctspeciesthatarecreatedusingmaterialsnotfoundon
theanimalbeingrendered.Theyutilizethefur,feathers,and
skinofanotherspeciesofanimal.
Arecreationmayincludeoriginalcarvingsandsculptures.A
recreationmayusenaturalparts,providedthepartsarenot
fromthespeciesbeingportrayed.
Forinstance,arecreationeaglecouldbeconstructedusing
turkeyfeathers,oracowhidecouldbeusedtosimulate
Africangame".Afamousexampleofarecreationmountisa
giantpandacreatedbytaxidermistKenWalkerthathe
constructedoutofdyedandbleachedblackbearfur.
Reproductionmountofarhinocerosmadeoffiberglass
Recreation mounts

30. Study skins
Astudyskinisataxidermicspecimenpreparedina
minimalisticfashionthatisconcernedonlywith
preservingtheanimal'sskin,nottheshapeofthe
animal'sbody.
Usedforscientificstudy(research),andarehoused
mainlybymuseums.
Astudyskin'ssolepurposeistopreservedata,notto
replicateananimalinalifelikestate.
Museumskeeplargecollectionsofstudyskinsin
ordertoconductcomparisonsofphysical
characteristicstootherstudyskinsofthesame
species.

31. Astudyskin'spreparationisextremelybasic.After
theanimalisskinned,fatismethodicallyscrapedoff
theundersideofthehide.Theundersideofthehideis
thenrubbedwithboraxorcedardusttohelpitdry
faster.
Studyskinsaredriedinthesepositionstokeepthe
endproductasslenderandstreamlinedaspossibleso
largenumbersofspecimenscanbestoredsideby
sideinflatfiledrawers,whileoccupyingaminimum
amountofspace.

32. Rearing Techniques

33. Aims of rearing
Rearing
Fieldconcernedwithanimals,raisedfordifferent
purposes
•Stockforshootingduringthehuntingseason
(artificialrearing)
Birdsabletosurviveuntiltheendofshooting
season
•Stockforre-establishment(semi-naturalrearing)
Birdsabletosurviveandbreedsuccessfully

34. Wild-caught birds
Adultsorchicksmustbecaughthumanelyandfollow
internationalguidelines
Keypoints
1.Neverexhaustpopulations
2.Welfareofthespeciescomesfirst
3.Knowledgeandexperienceaboutthecatchingprocessis
required
4.‘Friendly’housingaftercatching

35. Housing for wild-caught birds
1.Pensorcagesshouldimitatenatural
environmentandincludebareground,natural
coverandfood.
2.Sizemustbeadequatetoavoidinjuryandallow
breeding.
3.Pensshouldbecoveredwithnetstoavoidinjury
4.Locationshouldbequiet
5.Captivebirdsshouldbeabletoviewsurroundings
6.Handlingshouldbeminimized

36. Artificial rearing
Incubators
Artificial hatching of large numbers of eggs
Hatchability related to…
1. Reproductive output
2. Egg storage
3. Monitoring

37. Brooding Housing: brooders
1. Supplemental heat for several weeks after
hatching
2. Appropriate density
3. Specific chick food and water
Handling:reduced,onlytoensuregrowthandreduce
diseaseoutbreaks