SAMPLES ARE CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE. Please contact the NEON Biorepository for information about when these samples will become available. This collection contains individual zooplankton removed from the archived sample to be included in the taxonomist's reference collection (NEON sample class: zoo_perVial_in.referenceID). Zooplankton samples are collected three times per year at lake sites during aquatic biology bout windows, roughly in spring, summer, and fall. Samples are collected using either a tow net (water deeper than 4 m) or a Schindler-Patalas trap (water shallower than 4 m) depending on the depth at the sampling location. Samples are collected near the NEON profiling buoy as well as the littoral sensor sets. Samples are preserved in ethanol in the field and shipped to a taxonomy lab for sorting and identification. Reference collections are deposited at the NEON Biorepository at the end of a taxonomist's contract period. Reference collections are archived in glass vials and stored in a temperature (17-18°C) and humidity controlled environment. Specimens are preserved in 70-95% ethanol. See related links below for protocols and NEON related data products.