Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Observation 3

During this weeks observation i was able to notice the hundreds of micro-organisms without a microscope at all. I assumed by the speed of the movement they had to be Cyclops sp.. I was correct as the mother with her egg sack i saw last week must have had her babies! There were Cyclops sp. everywhere you looked! i didn't have to search for them this time as they flew into my microscopes view almost every few seconds. This week there was also more seed shrimp than there was last week. Most of everything else had stayed relatively the same however i was able to spot what looked like a water mite on the floor of the micro-aquarium. I was only able to get a good view of it for a second before it slipped into the sediment never to be found again. From my perspective, the water mite looked like a little lobster minus the pincers however i only got a good look at one side of the creature. I searched endlessly for more water mites but was unable to find anymore amidst the debris.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Observation 2

On Friday October 21, 2011 "ONE" Beta Food Pellet of "Atison's Beta Food"* was inserted into each micro-aquarium. When i began to observe i noticed quickly there were Euchlanis sp., A type of Rotifer feeding off the food pellet. (143 Pennak) There were lots of them coming and going from the feeding frenzy. They are by far the most abundant of the organisms in my micro aquarium. From my observations, there were only one two other species that had been observed near and or possibly feeding off the food pellet. One of the species observed was identified as an Ostracod sp. also known as a seed shrimp.(209 Rainis) However, this seems an unlikely food source as most ostracod sp. were eating off of plants or the bottom of the micro-aquarium. Many dead ostracod sp. can be found on the algae floor. Also, possibly 7 seed shrimps were found inside Utricularia gibba L. or PLANT B.Utricularia gibba L. allows species to enter but not exit. In this way it is able to trap species inside until they die. The plant then breaks them down for their nutrients. The other species observed possibly feeding off the food pellet was Cyclops sp. (204 Rainis) It was noted that a Cyclops sp. was either feeding or hiding in the mass of the food pellet that still exists there. Through close observation it was determined that it was most certainly feeding off the food pellet. There were numerous other Cyclops sp. rummaging around the micro-aquarium. After more searching, I was able to spot a juvenile Cyclops sp.. it was distinguished by its exact similarity to a Cyclops sp. minus the tail which hadn’t formed yet. There was also a distinguishable star shape on its back when viewed from the microscope. It was much smaller than its full grown version. With a little help, I was able to determine that one of the Cyclops sp. was a juvenile. I also spotted at least one that was full grown and had an egg sack. These discovery leads to excitement as it seems, if things go well, my micro aquarium will be chalk full of Cyclops sp. in the very near future. Also, Defflugia sp. was observed, as well as Vorticella sp. on the micro aquarium floor. (95-96, 113-114, Patterson) Last week I thought I was able to observe water fleas, however this week they seemed to be either carcasses on the aquarium floor or I was badly mistaken. As of November 1, 2011, they are nowhere to be found. This concludes Observation 2 of my micro-aquarium.


Works Cited

Patterson, David J. Free-living Freshwater Protozoa: a Colour Guide. New York: Wiley, 1996. 95+. Print.

Rainis, Kenneth G., and Bruce J. Russell. A Guide to Microlife. New York: Franklin Watts, 1996. 204-09. Print.

Smith, Douglas G., and Robert W. Pennak. Pennak's Freshwater Invertebrates of the United States: Porifera to Crustacea. New York: Toronto, 2001. 143. Print.

*“Atison's Beta 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%.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Week 2 - Lessons of the Micro-Deep

This week i began my observations. I started by scouting the micro-aquarium at 10x to find living organisms. I had a little luck at first but was unable to zoom in on anything in particular before it disappeared into the micro-abyss. I then began scanning the aquarium floor for other creatures of the micro-deep. There, i found skeleton remains of micro-organisms surrounded by leaf and mud sediment. It was horrible, there no signs of a struggle that i could find, however these organisms did not die peacefully. Judging by the Ostracods i observed later, these were clearly the remains of their ancestors, long forgotten to the micro-world. I observed these Ostracods along with Cyclops feeding on the dead leaf and mud sediment multiple times. It seems that in the micro-universe just like the real one, we are all forced to feed on what the dead have left behind. However, Desmids do not follow this age old code of ethics inside the Micro-World. These desmids were starstruck algea. All they cared about was being in the spotlight or sunlight, or uv light or whatever light they can absorb. They seemed to be naive and dumb. But, they weren't as the diatoms i observed. I have never felt so bad for such a small thing. Here i was, a god to this creature, and yet my fingers were to big to free him from the shackles of sediment he was clearly trapped in. He had no flagella to propel him out, nothing to free him from his weak attempt at freedom. I felt the deepest sorrow for him, but there was nothing i could do. I hope to find more creatures of the micro-deep next week in order to assess the micro-symbiosis taking place in this micro-world.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Week 1

For my micro-aquarium i chose to use the sample of water from the water pool below Lynnhurst Cemetery. The pond has partial shade exposure and is a springtime feeding pond. I have added Amblestegium sp., a moss collected at Carters Mill Park, Carter Mill Road in Knox county. I also have added Utricularia gibba L., a carnivous flowering plant. Originally from south shore of Spain Lake, east of Sparta Tn, this particular plant was grown in a greenhouse outside of the heslar biology building. For ease, we will refer to Amblestegium sp. as "Plant A" and Utricularia gibba L. as "Plant B". Since i have not viewed it under a microscope yet i am unaware of the microorganisms that are swimming around inside however i can see some sort of insect with my naked eye. I am very excited for my microaquarium and cannot wait to see what is lurking underneath a microscope!