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Here's how we did it:

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Damselfly larva - note these are a bit big to keep in your jar. We removed this one after photography.

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Alternative set-up, using a sealable kitchen container.

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Again using the digital microscope - this one is a 'seed shrimp' or ostracod.

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Watch the guts and muscles of a worm contract as it moves! We recorded this using a cheap digital microscope.

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A beetle larva found in our jar - possibly a Marsh Beetle.

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Great illustrations, includes wetland creatures as well. Additional teaching resources here.

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Up the River: explore and discover New Zealand's rivers, lakes and wetlands is the latest addition to the 'explore and discover' books, following on from books about the seashore, ocean, garden, and forest habitats.

Six years ago I would have wondered how many people might be interested enough in our freshwater habitats to buy a book about them for their children or grandchildren, but now as we release this book, there is broad public interest. There's been much publicity about whether our rivers are swimmable, about polluted drinking water and about the loss of rivers to irrigation schemes.

As a nation we've woken up to the facts - that clean freshwater matters and that our freshwater is not as clean as we would like it to be.

All of these events and debates were going on while I was researching and writing Up the River. The more I researched, the more I realised that the state of our freshwater was worse than I had imagined. I had to work hard to resist the temptation to make the dire findings and debates centre stage in the book. Why?

Partly because I want the book to endure for ten years or more, and I hope as a society we'll act quickly now to make a difference to water quality. But mainly, because a focus on negative facts can make children feel powerless. After all this is a mess not of their making.

Instead I wanted to show children (and the adults who read the book with them) the diverse and intriguing wildlife that healthy freshwater systems support. In Up the River the reader discovers animals that are little known because they are hidden or out of sight, or rare because of habitat loss. Children learn about the amazing journeys that fish make, and the extraordinary life-cycles of aquatic insects. In this way, they get to understand how special these habitats are.

The rivers needed to be recognisable to children who may not get to experience mountain streams or braided rivers, so Ned's illustrations show a modified habitat on pages 10-13.

I hope that this leads to discussion about what impact the farms and towns along the river will have on the animals and plants that live there.

The text about lakes on pages 16-17 also raises the issue of the particular problems that affect lakes. For older children, there is discussion at the end of the book about algal blooms and freshwater problems. Here, the "What can you do?" text empowers children (and adults) to take action for freshwater.

You might be wondering just how bad is the state of our freshwater really. Click on this image for a simple summary of facts from the Ministry of the Environment and down load 'New Zealand's fresh water at a glance 2017'.
Bought the book and want tips and ideas to follow up?
As I write, I note down interesting websites or activities and compile these to share with parents and teachers. See "ideas for children, parents and educators to explore and discover New Zealand's rivers, lakes and wetlands" on the Potton & Burton website. I also continue to update my Pinterest board with links to websites, documents, and tips for craft and science activities.
Did you know?
My books are available in hardback as well as paperback. Often bookstores just stock the paperback version, but many people prefer hardbacks, either because they are more robust or because they make nice gifts. Ask your bookstore to order the hardback for you or order it online direct from my publisher, Potton & Burton. http://www.pottonandburton.co.nz/store/up-the-river

Up the River - new book about New Zealand's freshwater

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Up the River - new book about New Zealand's freshwater

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Up the River: explore and discover New Zealand's rivers, lakes and wetlands is the latest addition to the 'explore and discover' books, following on from books about the seashore, ocean, garden, and forest habitats.

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Great reference pictures even if you aren't in Taranaki.

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This is high level, for the enthusiasts, but may be useful to borrow from a library if you are working with microscopes.

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ISBN: 9780473201753

Author: M Chapman Publisher: NZ Freshwater Sciences Society

Guide to the freshwater Crustacea of New Zealand is a comprehensive update of the classic volume Introduction to the freshwater Crustacea of N.Z. by Chapman & Lewis (1976). In the intervening 35 years there have been many advances in the systematics of crustaceans leading in many instances to the introduction of new names, and our knowledge of freshwater crustacean biology and ecology has increased substantially.

The new book follows a similar format to its predecessor, uses some of the same text, and many of the original figures. However, most of the text and identification keys have been rewritten to accommodate advances in knowledge, and many new line drawings and colour images are included. Each chapter has its own set of references to help users access the relevant literature. Accounts of the Copepoda, Syncarida, and Amphipoda, in particular, contain much new material, and information on the remarkable subterranean and 'terrestrial' crustacean faunas is incorporated.

The book is intended to be a source of information and a guide to the identification of our inland crustacean fauna that can be used by students, teachers, research workers, and other environmental scientists.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 188

Publication Date: 06-11-2011

Availability Date: 06-11-2013

Tags: New Zealand Reference Science & Nature

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guide to the freshwater crustacea of new zealand

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Guide to the Freshwater Crustacea of New Zealand, ISBN: 9780473201753 - available from Nationwide Book Distributors Ltd NZ.

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ISBN: 9780473201753 Author: M Chapman Publisher: NZ Freshwater Sciences Society Guide to the freshwater Crustacea of New Zealand is a comprehensive update of the classic volume Introduction to the freshwater Crustacea of N.Z. by Chapman & Lewis (1976).

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What's that living in my stream? Invertebrates

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What's that living in my stream? Invertebrates

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High quality pictures and facts about some of the things you might find in your jar.

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Hey! Did you know that there are lots of amazing creepy crawly creatures living in our streams?

Our waterways are not just home to native fishes, but to an incredible range of animals called invertebrates - animals without a backbone! Even some of the insects we think of as being inhabitants of the air and bush actually live part of their lives in the water.

Freshwater invertebrates are those animals that live in freshwater environments, such as rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, wetlands, hot springs, ditches - sometimes even puddles! And they include creatures such as craneflies, caddisflies and mosquitos.

We also have jellyfish, crabs, freshwater limpets, mussels and clams, as well as the hydra - a freshwater relative of the anemone. Many New Zealanders have never seen us, know about us or even know where to look for us.

So, come and have a look and see what other cool animals you can find in a stream, river, lake or puddle near you.

About Amber...

Amber McEwan is a freshwater biologist who is passionate about conservation, particularly of New Zealand's freshwater ecosystems. After her first child was born she realised that, while there were a number of children's books about kiwi and tuatara and other New Zealand native animals, there was nothing about our beautiful native fish. So, Amber set about writing a series of books - this one on freshwater invertebrates is the fourth - which share the really exciting story of New Zealand freshwater life with those who will be looking after them in the future - kids.

Paperback | 210 x 270 mm | 978-0-9922610-7-8 | 15 August 2017 | Non-fiction | 40 pages |

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What's that living in my Stream? Invertebrates by Amber McEwan

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Hey! Did you know that there are lots of amazing creepy crawly creatures living in our streams? Our waterways are not just home to native fishes, but to an incredible range of animals called invertebrates - animals without a backbone!

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Work on reading and comprehension skills while learning about some creatures that live in ponds.

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Quantity

The Water Boatman is a simple informational text describing the habitats of two pond dwellers. Features of the Book - The regular text pattern in the early part of the story. - The close picture/text match. - The examples of present-tense verbs - "lives","swims", "holds", and "eats". - The compound words - "mudfish" and "boatman". - The adjectives - "front", "middle", and "back". - The high-frequency word "with" - The labelled diagram. Purpose The Water Boatman can be used in a guided reading setting to introduce and reinforce the following skills and strategies: -encouraging rereading of the text to clarify understanding; -summarising the main parts of the story; -introducing and discussing the meaning of new words within the story; -gathering information and sorting it into categories.
Learning Media believes that literacy is at the heart of learning. Our carefully levelled print and digital texts for guided, shared and independent reading will support and challenge your students. Backed by thorough research and built on current and effective pedagogy, Learning Media's literacy learning resources help meet the learning and teaching needs of every student and teacher. Learning Media has been a leading education resource supplier for schools in Australian and New Zealand for over 20 years. We bring high-quality, innovative literacy resources to the education community - resources centred on evidence-based instruction and designed with the knowledge of how teachers teach and students learn.

The Water Boatman Blackline Master

The Water Boatman Lesson Plan

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Quantity The Water Boatman is a simple informational text describing the habitats of two pond dwellers. Features of the Book - The regular text pattern in the early part of the story. - The close picture/text match. - The examples of present-tense verbs - "lives","swims", "holds", and "eats".

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Developed something great to add? Or just want to share you photos? 

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Developed something great to add? Or just want to share you photos? 

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Email us at: educator@troutcentre.com

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iNaturalist will help students develop observational skills, but please check out the teacher's guide to see if it's right for your students.

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iNaturalist NZ is a social network for naturalists! Record your observations of plants and animals,
share them with friends and researchers, and learn about the natural world.

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New Zealand mud snail
wild_wind @ iNaturalist

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While not exactly the same experiment, this PDF scaffolds a strong scientific approach to a jar ecosystem for mid-late high school. American example.

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The only thing being added to your ecosphere is energy in the form of sunlight. This means that every other nutrient and aspect of life in the jar is being recycled. This is the same concept in nature at large - there is zero waste in nature.

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Identification guide: What freshwater invertebrate is this?

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Stella McQueen's hydra (and snail), something you may find in your jar. Original post here, excerpt below.

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These are some example questions, but given the nature of the experiment it's likely that students will come up with plenty of their own enquiries!

What is living in here?

Try to identify things you find: ID Guide

Draw a picture, or for older students try scientific drawing (you'll most likely need a microscope of some kind for this)

What do they eat? How do they eat it? See an example of a freshwater snail eating here.

Can you create a simple food chain or food web of things you observe?

Where does the energy come from for this ecosystem?

How do the organisms move around?  Is it harder or easier to move in water? For you? For them?

Can you observe more than one part of a life-cycle? Compare it to a land animal life-cycle that you know.

Write a short story from the perspective of one of the animals in the jar.

Investigate nutrient cycling in the jar, compare it to what you know about nutrient cycles in the real world.

Is there any waste in this system? What happens to it? What can we/our school/our community learn from the ecosystem in this jar?

Connect your thinking to learning about the water cycle. Where did the water come from for your source pond/wetland? What would happen to these creatures if it dried up? Why is your jar not drying up? (Because it's a closed system, like the planet inside a jar!)

You may wish to investigate pest fish and freshwater biosecurity in NZ to explain why the experiment must be disposed of in particular ways.

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A pond, drain or other slow flowing water body.

Fast flowing waters are not appropriate, as the organisms that live in these have high oxygen needs.

Check that the area is safely accessible.

Ensure you have permission to sample the water-body.

Record the location where you take your sample - you'll need this later.

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3-5 cm of 'muck' (sediment) for the bottom of the jar

Water to fill the jar with 3-5 cm space left at the top for air

Aquatic plants growing in the location.

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Tiny pond critters are best; less than 5 mm (you should need to be pretty close to see them)

Large creatures like big snails or fish will throw off the ecosystem balance.

Don't collect too many! Generally there will be enough on plants, in the mud and water without searching for more.

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Image: Douglas Porter @Flickr

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Inspiration/background for jar ecospheres

A generalised method with ideas, advice, and potential questions

Further information with more depth on what might be happening in your jar

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Jar plant by Yazmin Alanis from the Noun Project

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Nutrient cycling in an ecosphere.

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A basic how-to.

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How to make a successful DIY closed ecosystem/ecosphere

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Hydra are related to sea anemones, jellyfish and corals, but live in fresh water. They are a predator, catching passing microorganisms with their stinging tentacles.

You see those white spots on the tentacles? Those are the stinging cells! They contain a spring loaded harpoon which the cell shoots out when it touches something, injecting a neurotoxin to disable its prey.

You can tell when a hydra has recently eaten - the 'stem' has a big swelling in the middle, where the hapless critter gets slowly digested.

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Observation set-up with torch and digital microscope; Stella McQueen 2020

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If you find larger organisms like fish in your sample, please return them to where you found them - it is not fair to keep large things enclosed in a small space, they will almost certainly die, and it is generally illegal without permission.

When you have finished with the jar ecosystem there are two options for disposal:

Return the contents to the location you initially took the sample from, or;

Dispose on dry land (where any weed or pest species cannot invade new freshwater locations).

Do not release organisms to any other water body or you may receive  a fine of up to $10,000

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Two jars from two different ponds.

Make two jars from the same pond, but exclude plants from one of them.

Wrap coloured cellophane around one jar, keep another normal; note different rates of growth.

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New Zealand has over 200 species of freshwater macroinvertebrates. An invertebrate is an animal that lacks a backbone. 'Macro' means the invertebrates are large enough to be seen without magnification - even though some can be as small as 1 mm in length. Examples of aquatic macroinvertebrates include crustaceans (such as sand hoppers), insects (such as beetles and mayflies), molluscs (such as snails) and segmented worms (such as leeches).

Habitats

Freshwater macroinvertebrates live in all kinds of freshwater environments, from pristine mountain streams to wetlands to sewage ponds. They make their homes under rocks or leaves, in the sediment or in the vegetation along the sides of the waterway. Some creatures, like freshwater snails and mussels, spend their entire lives in the water. Other creatures, like dragonflies and mosquitoes, live in the water during their larval or nymph stages but out of the water as adults.

Waterways - especially streams - have different types of 'bottoms' or substrates. Hard bottoms are made up of rocks or gravels. Soft-bottomed waterways tend to be muddy or weedy. Burrowing creatures like worms prefer to live in the softer substrates.

Aquatic food webs

Some macroinvertebrates are carnivorous - they feed on other creatures in the water.

Some graze on algae - rather like guinea pigs nibble the grass. Other macroinvertebrates are filter feeders. They ingest tiny pieces of food suspended in the water.

Macroinvertebrates are an important food source for fish, birds and other animals. They also help to recycle nutrients in aquatic environments.

Physical adaptations

Macroinvertebrates have physical adaptations suited to living in specific aquatic environments. Creatures that live in fast-flowing water, like stoneflies and mayflies, often have claws or hooks for holding on to rocky substrates. Water boatmen live in slow-moving water so their legs are designed for swimming rather than holding on. The spiny-gilled mayfly has hairy legs to trap drifting food particles.

Some macroinvertebrates breathe through gills. Others, like diving beetles, trap air bubbles under their exoskeletons. Gill location (on the body, legs or even on the tail) helps scientists to identify different species.

Human impacts on macroinvertebrates

Humans modify the land to build cities and farms. We dam rivers to produce electricity and divert streams to build roads. These changes have impacts on macroinvertebrates. Clearing vegetation from the banks removes food sources, breeding grounds and shade - so the water gets warmer. Dams, weirs and irrigation reduce water flow and velocity - causing sediments to build up, altering the substrate and making it difficult for gilled creatures to breathe. Nutrients from sewage or farm run-off alter the types of plants that grow in waterways. When the plants die, they use up dissolved oxygen and cause eutrophication. Spills and run-off from business and residential areas also change the water chemistry.

Nature of science

Water quality indicators

Many freshwater macroinvertebrates are trapped or confined to their particular habitat. They are unable to migrate or move to a new location if changes occur. For this reason, macroinvertebrate species identification and counts are often part of water quality surveys. Sensitive creatures like caddisflies and mayflies are associated with good water quality, whereas more tolerant creatures like snails and worms can survive in modified or degraded streams with poorer water quality.

Regional councils and water care groups monitor streams over time to develop baseline information about macroinvertebrates and water quality. Changes in species type or number may indicate changes to stream conditions, both good and bad. Other indicators like water clarity, temperature and water flow/velocity are also monitored.

Read about monitoring and restoration projects in these articles: Students help restore mauri to the Oruarangi Stream, Riparian restoration and Water quality in Rotorua lakes.

Macroinvertebrates are bioindicators. Read more about this concept in the article Bioindicators.

Related content

Useful link

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New Zealand has over 200 species of freshwater macroinvertebrates. An invertebrate is an animal that lacks a backbone. 'Macro' means the invertebrates are large enough to be seen without magnification - even though some can be as small as 1 mm in length.

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Although the jar is sealed, some air (including oxygen ) is sealed in.
Organisms use oxygen, but plants and algae produce oxygen, so assuming the ecosystem finds a balance, there will be enough oxygen for organisms to survive.
If the jar ecosystem fails it may be related to oxygen:

Large organisms, or too many, dying leads to growth in decomposing bacteria which use oxygen - so the breakdown of dead things can use up all the oxygen.

If the jar gets too hot oxygen bubbles out of the water and is no longer accessible to organisms. (Beware the smell: take it outside to empty it!)

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With thanks to Stella McQueen of NZ Native Fish for inspiration and some of the content.

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Algae | pūkohu wai

Ecosphere | ao hauropi

Ecosystem | pūnaha hauropi

Macroinvertebrate | tuaiwi-kore

Organism | rauropi

Oxygen | haora
Sediment | parataiao

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You may wish to record observation in science notebooks (great ideas for starting science journalling here and here)

In the first 24 hours the water will be muddy/turbid but will slowly clear

You may now begin to see tiny creatures moving around.

Some may die, others are likely to start breeding - ultimately settling down to a stable ecosystem in a couple of months, OR;

If something isn't quite right, there's too much light, or too many large creatures dying, everything may die. Keep trying!

Filming, or taking a photo at a certain time each day may be a good way to record the experiment.

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Freshwater scientist Stella McQueen talks on Radio NZ about setting up a jar ecosystem.

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Another self-confessed geek, Stella McQueen our New Zealand native fish expert has a lovely idea to keep the children (and adults) entertained in lockdown.

See terms of use.

Recent stories from Nights

Podcast (MP3) Oggcast (Vorbis)

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Nights Science - New Zealand Native Fish

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Another self-confessed geek, Stella McQueen our New Zealand native fish expert has a lovely idea to keep the children (and adults) entertained in lockdown. See terms of use. Podcast (MP3) Oggcast (Vorbis)

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At least one jar

The bigger the better

Jar needs to have a well sealing lid

Access to a pond, drainage ditch or other slow moving water body.

A windowsill that receives indirect light.

Optional: magnifying glasses or microscope

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Inspiration from the UK. Ad free website.

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What tiny creatures live in pond water? After watching videos about window sill ecospheres, YouTuber Atomic Shrimp created his own ecosphere jar with pond water from where he lives in the United Kingdom. He writes:

Last week, I scooped a jar of muddy water and weed out of a local pond, sealed it and placed it on my north-facing window sill, in an experiment to create a sealed ecosphere. Let's have a look at some of the things I saw in there during the first week...

A north-facing window is key to his DIY ecosphere's success; the jar is exposed to light but not to direct sunlight that would overheat it. His discoveries include copepods, hydra, flatworms, daphnia, other crustaceans, and more. The narration of his observations are calming and informative.

Week two's update takes a closer look at these hydra and other small creatures as they begin to find some balance of oxygen, light, detritus, food, and life within the closed ecosystem.

But in his week three update, the water, sediment, and weeds reveal a surprising new creature of the sealed DIY ecosphere. See how Atomic Shrimp's ecosphere project ends and why he felt it was ethically and legally important to slowly and carefully release its inhabitants back into the pond.

"If you're thinking about replicating this experiment yourself, please do not violate any lockdown protocols that may be in place in your locality... The other important point is not to violate any of your local wildlife protection statutes."

Related: Who's that in the jar?

His experiment was inspired by the Life In Jars and Journey to the Microcosmos YouTube channels.

Next, watch Seacosphere: One year inside an airtight jar of seawater, a Life in Jars video on TKSST.

Plus, from Mike Wilson: How do you find water bears (tardigrades) in the wild?

Bonus: Hunting for microbes in Central Park's murkiest waters and Pond Scum Under the Microscope with Sally Warring.

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The Pond On My Window Sill, a DIY ecosphere experiment | The Kid Should See This

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What tiny creatures live in pond water? After watching videos about window sill ecospheres, YouTuber Atomic Shrimp created his own ecosphere jar with pond water from where he lives in the United Kingdom.