In my other article I told you that when I collect soil from the peatlands, I actually collect the soil animals and what is considered their house. Since each sample ends up being in a slightly different size and weight, I need to weigh my samples to know which soil the animals were extracted from. This makes the comparison between my samples fair and correct, as you can imagine that more animals could be found in more soil. I always process the soil samples within 72 hours of collection.
Once I have taken notes on the weight of my samples, I have to separate the soil animals (including the oribatid mites) from the soil itself. For that, I use a microarthropod extractor." There are different types, but in the end, the goal is the separation (extraction) of the animals from their house. Check the pictures on the right to see some different extractor models I have used in school!
These extractors have an incandescent bulb (also called halogen light bulb) that heats up and dries the soil out. The heat and desiccation cause the soil animals to leave the soil, pass through a mesh that retains the soil and go downwards where I catch them with a vial and put them into ethanol for preservation. The soil stays in the extractor for three days, allowing enough time to catch most animals.
