Week #5

I observed dozens of the Dileptus I first saw last week. They outnumber pretty much every other organism in my MicroAquarium at this point, even the rotifers, which up until now had been the most prevalent residents. I saw a few Vorticella and Halteria, but their numbers appeared to have decreased. The diversity of the environment seems to have diminished since last week. Also, for the first time this week, I observed an organism large enough to be seen with the naked eye. Under the microscope, I viewed a long, segmented creature, with multiple cilia and a long proboscis. It moved very quickly, and it was difficult to get a good look at the organism at first, which led me to wonder if maybe this organism was sensitive to light. Pennak's Freshwater Invertebrates of the United States (Douglas Grant Smith) identified this organism as the Annelid Stylaria.

Week 4

I definitely noticed an increase in diversity this week. Still noticeably present were the rotifers Lecane. Additionally, I noticed a large number of green algae, identified as Phacus in How to Know Freshwater Algae by G. W. Prescott. I also observed two of the Difflugia I identified earlier in the semester, illustrated in a 40x image below.

The largest part of my time in lab this week was spent observing a previously unidentified organism in my MicroAquarium. For the first time this week, I observed Dileptus (identified in fig. 391 of Freshwater Invertebrates of the United States: Protozoa to Mollusca by Robert W. Pennak) a large ciliate (it can be up to 1 mm in length) with a proboscis and a mouth at the base. Shown below is video of this organism, displaying the cilia lining its body and its distinctive mouth, as it interacts with a rotifer.

Week 3

Last week's addition of water from source # 13 appears to have greatly improved the amount of variety within my MicroAquarium. I observed larger numbers of many of the organisms I identified last weeks. Specifically, I saw several examples of the rotifer, Lecane, which is pictured in last week's post. Second in number to the rotifers were Halteria; I saw many of them this week. I also saw more of the vorticella I've seen the past few weeks, as well as several small single celled critters. In the sediment at the bottom of the acquarium I saw a few nematodes. Clustered near plants a and b, I saw several Paramecium, as identified in the Biocam poster Pond Life I Smaller Microlife and some other varieties of rotifers, identified in the same poster. Some of these rotifers were smaller than the Lecane, with bodies that were more elongated. Look for pictures of these and other organisms in next week's post.

Week 2

I observed my MicroAquarium for a second time this week. I observed multiple cilia, more of the vorticella I observed last week, though these were lone individuals, as opposed to the large group I had previously observed. Near the bottom, in the sediment, I observed several nematodes and some algae, along with the bodies of a few large, dead organisms.

My initial observations yielded very little diversity within the environment. In order to remedy this situation, I added water from source number 13. Plastic Bird Bath pool . 0.9 mile from Fountain City Pond on Fountain Rd. Knox Co. Knoxville TN Partial shade exposure N 36o02.249' W083o55.999' 1121 ft 10/12/2009, as well as a bigger specimen of Plant A (now identified: Amblystegium varium (Hedw.) Lindb. Moss. Collection from: Natural spring. at Carters Mill Park, Carter Mill Road, Knox Co. TN. Partial , shade exposure. N36 01.168 W83 42.832. 10/11/2009Plant B. Utricularia vulgaris L. Flowering.) Also identified here is Plant B, carnivous plant. Original material from south shore of Spain Lake (N 35o55 12.35" W088o20' 47.00), Camp Bella Air Rd. East of Sparta Tn. in White Co. and grown in water tanks outside of greenhouse at Hesler Biology Building. The University of Tennessee. Knox Co. Knoxville TN. However, no more of this plant was added to my MicroAquarium. I also added one pellet of "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%.

The addition of water from source thirteen yielded much more fruitful observations. I observed multiple examples of Halteria, as identified in figures 304 and 305 of Patterson's Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa: A Color Guide, and pictured below in Image 1. Most of the specimens I saw moved in circular motions, appearing to spin, using cilia. Additionally, I observed several Rotifers, identified as Lecane, on page 193 of Rainis' and Russell's Guide to Microlife and seen below in Image 2. The movement of these creatures was very interesting to observe. The appeared to move through the use of flagella and made sudden, sharp changes in motion. They seemed to be particularly present through the middle of the MicroAquarium. A final organism of particular interest was a Difflugia (as seen in figure 186 of Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa) an amoeba with a hard shell, which moved through the use of finger-like protuberances, with which it pulled itself along. It's progression can be seen below in Images 3, 4, and 5.

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Week 1

I set up my MicroAquarium this week, using water from sample number 12, Water pool below spring. Fountain City Park west of Broadway at Hotel Ave. Knox Co. Knoxville TN. Full shade exposure Spring Feed Pond N36 02.253 W83 55.986 990 ft 10/12/2009. In addition to this, I added samples of Plants A and B to my MicroAquarium.
My initial observation yielded glimpses at a variety of small organisms, some single cellular. Looking into the aquarium, I could see many larger creatures moving through the water. Though I was eager to take a closer look, I was unable to observe many of these larger organisms under the microscope. I did; however, see vorticella in the top right corner of my aquarium. The smaller organisms I observed were also near the top of the aquarium. I saw one green organism that propelled itself through the water with flagella, and another small creature with multiple flagella that seemed to spin through the water. Near the top left of the aquarium, a small, worm-like creature moved in and out of the water.
This first glimpse into my microcosm has left me eager to see more. I'll be excited to identify the creature I observed in lab and make updates on their progress.