Collembola

We in the AntLab are learning through trial and error to photograph tiny things under the microscope. The goal is to produce web- based catalogues of critters from the brown food web, the microbes that decompose dead stuff like leaves, and the invertebrates that depend on them for food and shelter. The catalogue, which will go online sometime next year, is for our use as we quantify patterns of diversity, abundance, and body size across the New World forests. Hopefully it will help others interested in the same questions.

Here are a couple of photographs from Jelena Bujan, early efforts toward capturing the elusive beauty of Collembola, or springtails.

And, because it’s not all about grit, productivity, and getting things done.