Nov. 13 Observations

This is the final set of observations for my MicroAquarium project. In general, I have seen less of any  microorganism than I have at any time prior to this observation. I specifically observed one specimen of Spirogyra sp. of algae running through the tank. I have seen these since the beginning but I did not realize what they were until later into the project. This algae is made up of what looks like green spirals inside of the organism. There was an abundant amount of algae and cyanobacteria in the tank, most of which I had seen before but some of it looks slightly different. On the bottom of the tank I noticed a hair-like organism moving about. It would move slowly but just seemed to bend and writhe.   I had never noticed these organisms before but I am unclear as to whether they are a new species or one that I overlooked. I noticed also that the bottom of the tank (Not near the soil but rather just littered on the side of the glass) where countless elongated oval looking things. I was looking at these on the highest magnification and could not tell whether they were spores or maybe seeds. I was still able to see one Cyclops sp. These have been observed every day since the first day and have been a consistent survivor of the tank although there numbers seemed to fall slightly as time went on. I was only able to observe one Cyclops sp. this time and at the beginning I observed at least three lurking in the tank. I observed one Ostracod sp. seed shrimp. I was able to see many more at the beginning of the observations but now only see one. The seed shrimp typically moved very rapidly to avoid the light and was usually seen sifting through the dirt. I still saw many Nematode sp., about seven to be exact. These seemed to become more apparent in the later observations but were really prominent after  the food pellet was placed. Overall, it appeared that there were less animals in the tank and more algae and plant life. I don't even recall seeing a rotifer in my last observation. Much of the animal life has died off and the algae and plants seem to continue to prosper regardless.

Stentor sp. Video

Several Microorganisms I have Found

Observations Nov. 6th

This weeks observations revealed less specimens than any week thus far. At the bottom of the tank by the soil I saw what looked like several seed-like casings, the shells of something who shed them. They seemed to be in the shape of lima beans and split down the middle. The majority of what I observed were many Euchlanis sp. and Nematodes. I have seen Euchlanis sp. since I created the tank but Nematodes have been something that I have noticed more of the longer the tank has sat. This week I noticed more Nematodes than I have ever seen. I saw one Stentor sp. that I also observed last week. However, this Stentor sp. looked slightly different as it appeared to have something green making up most of its being. I observed 2 Cyclops sp., roughly the same as the last week. I have been seeing these since the beginning of the tank. Also observed was one Gastrotrich sp. Several of these were found last week but only one was seen this time. I found what looked like a Nematode who became stuck amidst what looked like cyanobacteria or some sort of algae close to the soil. It eventually freed itself but was stuck for some time. I have also noticed several specimens of Zygnema sp. (Prescott 1978) of algae. I realized that I have been observing many specimens of Spirogyra sp. (Prescott 1978) algae since the beginning and it has grown to be a major factor in the tank.

October 28th Observations

On October the 24th, one "Atison's Betta Food" food pellet was added to the tank. It is 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% (McFarland, 2014). 

This week I saw a lot more activity which is probably due to the addition of food resources for the microorganisms. To start, I noticed several accounts of cyanobacteria. These were visible the first week but I did not realize that they were cyanobacteria. I saw one cyclops this time around as opposed to the three I observed last week. I observed one specimen of Filamentis. This was the first week that this particular specimen was observed. I also saw for the first time two Ameoba. These almost shapeless beings are slow moving seem to morph into other glob-like shapes and seemed to be found around my plant samples mostly. Oct. 28 was the first time I saw the Ameoba as well as two specimen of Centroplex Ameoba (McFarland, 2014). These are circular in shape and have what look like multiple spikes coming from the outside of the circle. This was also the first time I observed one Euplotis. I found two seed shrimp, which were also observed last week. I observed 8 Vorticella (Patterson, 1992 #23) for the first time. One Zygnema was observed for the first time as well. These are green in color an have chloroplasts. Two Stentor were observed and one was captured on film (Patterson, 1992 Fig. 216). The Stentor have cilia that seem to move around the edge of the 'funnel' of the Stentor.  I very interestingly observed one Sphaerozosma. This Desmid is green in color and shaped like a rectangle. I captured a photo of this microorganism and will post it ASAP. Much like last weeks observations I found several (Probably around 6 or 7) Euchlanis. Also observed was one water flea (Seen last week as well), and one Gastrotricha that was seen for the first time (Rainis and Russell, 1996 pg. 177).

I was able to capture pictures of several of these microorganisms and a video of the Stentor which will be posted as soon as they are processed and edited. All organisms were observed between the hours of 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

October 23rd Observations

For the first week of observations, I was able to visualize living microorganisms as they went about their daily business. I found two or three rotifers which were quickly moving from one part of the tank to another. These were fast moving and would quickly swim away from the light. The three seed shrimp I observed each stayed mainly around the plant samples in the tank. It looked as if they were picking things off of the plants themselves. I also saw one water fluke, one cladocera, and three cyclops. The three cyclops seemed to lurk around the tank more than anything. I did not see them interact with many other organisms. All of the organisms I saw were transparent and did not seem to interact with each other at the time I was watching them.  All organisms were observed for the first time around 2 o'clock p.m. on October the 23rd, 2014.

Bibliography

Canter-. Lund, Hilda, and John W. G. Lund. Freshwater Algae: The Microscopic World Explored.       Bristol: Biopress, 1995. 38+. Print

McFarland, Kenneth [Internet] Botany 111 Fall 2014. [2014 October 19]. Available from     http://botany1112014.blogspot.com/

Patterson, David J., and Stuart Hedley. Free Living Freshwater Protozoa: A Colour Guide. London: Wolfe, 1992. 107. Print.

Pennak, Robert W. Freshwater Invertebrates of the United States. New York: Ronald, 1953. Print.

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