Week 5: Last Week

This week there were quite a few obvious differences other than those observed using the microscope. The water level was noticeably lower and the aquatic plants were faded in color and starting to break up like pre-decomp sorta. Similarly the soil and silt at the bottom was gray in color and grainy, seeming like it may be nutrient poor or depleted. Using the microscope i noticed a vast increase in spirogyra, both in number and in size. Also there was a significant increase in desmatodes and colonial green alga. The increase in these photosynthetic microorganisms I believe is due to the more abundant photons and CO2 as the plants die and are no longer competing for the same resources. There were hardly any rotifers, especially considering they were everywhere the first 4 weeks. They seem to have been beat out by the paramecium, as they were abundant in every field of view. The nematodes were few in number yet those surviving were far larger than those observed in weeks past. No new species of microorganisms were discovered in this final week.

Week 4: New Observations

This week in lab, while observing in my MicroAquarium, I found a lot of the same stuff that i had before. Lots of rotifers everywhere, spirogyra, and a couple big snails. I found more diatoms, especially down by the silt at the bottom. I also finally found a Cyclops (a Copepd). There seemed to be a larger number and variety of cyanobacteria, or blue-green alga such as Cosmarium, Oedogonium, and some types of Anabaena. Most of these were colonial or fillamentous. They seem to have no preference in where they exist. Likewise they have sprung up in the past week greatly throughout the MicroAquarium. Also in the MicroAquarium I'm beginning to notice a lot more dead, and emptied protist and single celled organisms. Lots of remaining seed shrimp cytoskeletons, and lots of clear cells that were green and vibrant last week. Unsure whether this is due to lack of oxygen or they no longer were able to sustain in the given habitat afforded to them. Either way it has become more prodominent, especially in the seed shrimp it seems.



Canter-Lund, H., Lund, J. Freshwater Algae: Their Microscopic World Explored. Bristol: Balogh Scientific Books; 1995


Rainis, K., Russel, B. Guide to Microlife. Houston: Children's Press(CT); 1996

Week 3: Observations and New Life

This week was the first time observing the MicroAquarium since the food pellet was added. It was really easy to find a lot of life around where it was added and was dissolving at the top. Near and all through it there were many fattened nematodes and like almost everywhere there were lots of rotifers scampering around. There were some things seen this week that I for some reason had not seen yet.


First, there was a number of seed shrimp (Crustacea Ostracoda) that are about 8 to 10 times bigger than the rotifers. They didn't seem to prefer one area over another as I saw them in the silt, on the aquatic plants, and in open areas. They were really something to watch; as they moved like crabs along pieces of plant fibers, and hovered in the open pumping their legs like a tiny machine. Being able to see right through them it was really something to watch.


Also, last week, I somehow missed the largest small organism I believe I could have ever missed. The freshwater snails (Gastropoda) that were in the MicroAquarium were huge compared to most everything else. Still while being able to see through them they were able to contain enough pigment to where they appeared mostly like any snail you could find under a rock. It's shell was mostly see through as well, and because of its size I could see its heart pounding, its radula munching, and its organs pumping.

Sources:

Pennak, R. Fresh-Water Invertebrates: Protozoa to Mulluska. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.; 1978

Ranis, K., Russel, B. Guide to Microlife. Houston: Children's Press(CT); 1996

Week 2: First Observations

This past week was the first open lab in which we were able to view organisms and find out what all we had in our MicroAquarium. Using the microscope I was able to find a lot of very different things. Some simple in shape and other surprisingly complicated for their relatively small size. In my MicroAquarium I had tons of Rotifers. From best I could see of these fast little guys I believe they were Rotifera Synchaeta. Also I saw many diatoms, mostly Pinnularia. The first thing I saw however was a large worm like thing, later identified to be a nematode. There were quite a few of them, especially up by the aquatic plant pieces. There were a number of photosynthetic microorganisms as well, including a few Spirogyra and a number of Desmatodes. After looking in one of the handbooks, I was able to conclude that the Desmatode I photographed was of SP. Pleurotaenium.

Also on Friday, Oct 22nd, all of the MicroAquariums were given one food pellet. It was a "Atison's Betta Food" made by Ocean Nutrition, Aqua Pet Americas, 3528 West 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104. Ingredients: Fish meal, wheat flower, soy meal, krill meal, minerals, vitamins and preservatives. Analysis: Crude Protein 36%; Crude fat 4.5%; Crude Fiber 3.5%; Moisture 8% and Ash 15%.

Nematode (Nematoda)

Diatom (Pinnularia)

Desmatode (SP. Pleurotaenium)

 Rotifer (Rotifera Synchaeta)

Sources:

Canter-Lund, H., Lund, J. Freshwater Algae: Their Microscopic World Explored. Bristol: Balogh Scientific Books; 1995

Forest, H. Handbook of Algae. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press; 1954

Rainis, K., Russel, B. Guide to Microlife. Houston: Children's Press(CT); 1996

WEEK 1: Setting Up

This week in lab we set up our MicroAquariums! Here's how we did it:

First, we received a MicroAquarium, consisting of a tiny tank, stand, and lid.
Next, we labeled them with 3 different colored dots. One for our lab section, table, and seat. Then on those dots we wrote out initials.
After that, we put in the tank a thin layer of sediment followed by water from a designated source. We got the first 1/3 of our water from the lower area of water, middle 1/3 from the middle, and top 1/3 from just under the surface.
Next, we added some small parts of plants and mosses into the MicroAquarium.
Then, we placed it on the stand and placed the lid on it and allowed it all to settle.


My MicroAquarium is labeled with dots Blue, Yellow, Red, and my initials CRG. The water source my sample came from was source 9, or the Pond at Sterchi Hills Greenway Trail.


So far just from looking at it under the microscope, I've seen a number of what appear to be worm-like organisms, and what i believe to be a large amount of diverse protist. This week I will be focusing on identifying some of these and hopefully uploading some pictures.