7. Sampling Equipment

Practical meiofauna work usually begins with sampling. Almost all investigators have considered the problems associated with sampling, and many have arrived at individualized solutions to their problems. However, certain concepts apply to all sampling methods. In this chapter we shall discuss these principles and describe the more common sampling methods and equipment for use in different habitats. We hope that a discussion of the principles behind good sampling technique will direct the choice of equipment in future investigations, and that a comparison of methods will facilitate the exchange of data. Ideally, samples should always accurately reflect the populations from which the sample was taken. Such samples would be unbiased and quantitative, and should serve as the basis of studies of meiofaunal abundance, biomass, production and community structure. Unbiased samples are not always required, however. Qualitative collections are those in which a device or method captures fauna in an unpredictable or variable fashion. They are useful to formulate a partial and biased faunistic list or to collect specimens of specific taxa for culturing, physiological, or systematic studies. Qualitative and quantitative sampling methods vary with habitat and sediment type, and whether sampling is done with visual contact, i.e., with close inspection of the sampling site, or by remote means in which equipment is deployed without visual contact.