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METHODS<br />

Experimental design - A preliminary (pilot) survey was carried out during February<br />

1997 to give an indication of the spatial distribution of P. elegans within the small-<br />

scale patches which were investigated in Chapter 2, and to determine adult densities<br />

so that a suitable core size could be used for the main survey. To achieve this, 1 P.<br />

elegans patch was randomly chosen and its centre sampled with a box-core containing<br />

49 contiguous 3x3crn cores, together with 32 cores around the edge of the box-core.<br />

The survey therefore consisted of 81 contiguous cores forming a 9x9 array, with<br />

samples taken to a depth of 10cm (Figure 7.1).<br />

3cm<br />

3cm<br />

.4-1.<br />

.<br />

27cm<br />

27cm<br />

Figure 7.1: Diagram showing the positions of the 81 3x3cm cores for the pilot survey<br />

with the position of the box-core highlighted. Samples were taken to a depth of 10cm.<br />

The sediments from the cores were preserved with 10% saline formaldehyde solution<br />

neutralised with 0.2% Borax, stained with 0.01% Rose Bengal and stored. The<br />

samples were later washed with water over a 5001.tm mesh sieve. The samples were<br />

then sorted using a magnifying lens and the numbers of P. elegans individuals in each<br />

sample counted.<br />

175

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