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Recent Low‐Cost Technologies to Analyse Physical Properties of Cases and Tubes Built by Aquatic Animals
Author(s) -
Statzner Bernhard,
Dolédec Océane,
Sagnes Pierre
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international review of hydrobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1522-2632
pISSN - 1434-2944
DOI - 10.1002/iroh.200911165
Subject(s) - ecology , computer science , weighting , environmental science , civil engineering , engineering , biology , medicine , radiology
Assessing architecture and resistance against crushing forces of cases and tubes built from particles by aquatic animals has been a major thread in studies of the biology and ecology of such builders. Traditionally, these physical properties have been assessed by hand ( e.g. , sieving and weighting mineral grains, crushing the building applying known forces). Recent innovations in industrial technologies used to automate production processes offer low‐cost, time‐saving alternatives to such traditional techniques. Assessing such alternatives using freely available software for image analysis, low‐cost load cells and standard laboratory equipment, we describe simple procedures for accurate descriptions of mineral grains in pupal cases of lotic hydropsychids ( e.g. , number, area, perimeter, shape, mass, association with virtual sieve fractions) and forces deforming cases to levels being fatal for the builder. Using headwater and large‐river species of the Loire, we also provide examples how these descriptions could serve in comparisons of species or sites. Our methods should be helpful in studies on similar topics using other aquatic or terrestrial animal builders. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)