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