Zooscan imaging system

GRIL：“湖沼与环境水产大学间研究小组”正在为一个由四名教授组成的大学间小组寻求对ZooScan成像系统的支持，这些教授分别来自蒙特里萨大学（UdeM）、蒙特里萨大学（UQAM）和蒙特里萨大学（UQTR），用于直接识别、确定淡水浮游动物的大小并按粗分类尺度或功能类群进行分类。ZooScan系统使用一个扫描传感器和一个定制的照明系统，该系统配备了一个水密室，可以将样品倒入其中，以高分辨率进行数字化处理，然后在不损坏的情况下进行恢复。图像的自动识别和分类可以使用免费的开源软件ZooProcess来完成，它允许标准化的图像处理、分析和元数据获取。ZooScan已成功用于分析地中海和北海浮游动物的丰度和质量分布。我们建议将该仪器用于湖泊和河流浮游动物。该设备将成为北美淡水的第一个原型。它将由四名grl成员共同执行五个主要项目：1)北方湖泊和池塘浮游动物功能群富营养化和扰动梯度分析，2)基于特征的浮游动物功能多样性研究和水生入侵生物早期发现方法的建立，3)St.Lawrence河浮游动物资源组成及其对黄鲈幼虫发育的重要性分析，4)浮游动物功能群在湖泊食物网中汞转移中的作用分析。5)加拿大北部生态带湖泊浮游动物数字化样本存档。ZooScan系统将主要由一名在海洋学方面受过ZooScan培训的博士后（UdeM）监督，但在未来五年内，另一名博士后（UQTR）和至少6名学生（2名博士和4名硕士）以及本科生也会使用。该文书也将提供给其他grl成员使用。

The GRIL: `Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie et Environnement Aquatique` is seeking support for a ZooScan imaging system to a inter-university group of four professors from the Université de Montréal (UdeM), Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) for direct recognition, sizing and classification of freshwater zooplankton at coarse taxonomic scales or in functional groups. The ZooScan system uses a scanning sensor with a custom-built lighting system equipped with a watertight chamber into which samples can be poured, digitized at high resolution, and then recovered without damage. Automatic identification and classification of images can be done using the free open-source software ZooProcess which allows standardized image processing, analysis, and acquisition of metadata. The ZooScan has been successfully used to analyse zooplankton abundance and mass distribution in the Mediterranean and North Seas. We propose to use and adapt this instrument for lake and river zooplankton. This equipment will be the first prototype used for freshwaters in North America. It will be shared by four members of the GRIL to carry out five main projects: 1) analysis of functional groups of zooplankton in boreal lakes and ponds along eutrophication and disturbance gradients, 2) development of a trait-based approach to zooplankton functional biodiversity and early detection of aquatic invaders, 3) analysis of the composition and importance of zooplankton resources for larval development of yellow perch in the St.Lawrence River, 4) analysis of the role of functional groups of zooplankton in mercury transfer in lake food webs, and 5) Archiving of digitized zooplankton samples from lakes of the boreal ecozone in Canada. The ZooScan system will be primarily under the supervision of a postdoctoral fellow (UdeM) previously trained on the ZooScan in oceanography, but also used by another postdoctoral fellow (UQTR) and at least 6 students (2 Ph.D. 4 M.Sc) as well as undergraduate students over the next five years. The instrument will also be available for use by other GRIL members.