LABORATORY

This page presents the stages of creating the laboratory for the ExplorEcolab project.

Material

  • Support
    • Aquarium and white Osaka furniture bought : tank 155 L 61 x 45 x 61 cm, furniture 72 x 45 x 70 cm
    • Plates
    • Grid and mosquito-type netting
    • vine stock
  • Environmental conditions
    • Programmable misting system Exo Terra MD 8 liters
    • LED Aquarium Lighting
    • Red film
    • 4 fans Terra Fan Lucky Reptile
  • Substratum
    • Soil
    • Sand of organic agriculture 

Steps of creating the laboratory

Creation of the ants vivarium :

  • cutting the plastic plates for the creation of the Lasius niger observation vivarium
  • gluing the plate supports.

The plates were glued on two sides of the aquarium allowing the creation of the vivarium and the ants observatory.

  • substrate sterilization step
  • installation of red film to create darkness conditions for the nest because ants do not see the red (Martinez, 2013)
  • incorporation of sterilized substrate
  • Heating plates for nest of anthill

Creation of the living space of the butterfly Polyommatus icarus and its host plants

  • incorporation of clay balls
  • incorporation of sterilized compost
  • Installation of a vine stock after karcher cleaning

Creation of climatic conditions

  • Setting up misting system of the rain simulator
  • LED lighting simulator of the sun
  • Setting up a cover with a fan support plate
  • Setting up air circulation fans
  • Mosquito-type netting added to the mesh plate

Final step : The laboratory