Saying Goodbye

I'm sad to see our projects come to an end. The majority of organisms appear to be dead except for the dero which is an annelida. It forms a yellowish brown protective layer around itself. I like that it flips and changes orientation within the tube. They eat everything!

The Litonotus is a single celled protist. I have had the opportunity to observe and study Rotifers, Euplotes, Diatoms, Dero's, Paludicella, and Actinosphaerium.

I look forward to writing my final project.

The Beginning of the End Week 4

I have begun to notice dead organisms in the tank. I know that several of my Botany mates have experienced drastic declines in the number of organisms since the second week of the experiment, I however have been very fortunate up to this point.

This week I was able to identify a duro worm.


Identified in the book Fresh-Water Biology, page 618. Figure 959


Identified in the book Fresh Water Algae; Their microscopic world explored, page 118. Figure 207.

References and Citations

References

[Internet] Botany 111 Fall 2013. [cited November 04, 2013 ]. Available from http://botany1112013.blogspot.com/

Ward H.B. and Whipple G.C. 1918. Fresh Water Biology. ed. Boston (MA): Stanhope Press F.H. Gilson Company. 1111 p.

Patterson D.J. 1996. Free Living Fresh Water Protozoa. ed. Washington D.C.: Manson Publishing ASM Press. 223 p.

Canter-Lund H. and Lund J.WC. 1995. Fresh Water Algae; Their microscopic world explored. ed. Bristol (England): Biopress Limited. 360 p.

Pennak R.W. 1989. Fresh Water Invertebrates of the United States; Protozoa to Mollusca. 3rd ed. Wiley-Interscience Publication. 

Thriving Organisms Week 3

Identified in book Free Living Fresh Water Protozoa, page 124, Figure 261.

I have several of these Euplotes in the aquarium. They don't seem to be restricted to any one region of the tank. They roam about freely and move very swiftly. They are in the soil, near plants, and when the betta food pellet was added they were among the main consumers.

Identified in the book Free Living Fresh Water Protozoa, page 132-133. Figures 285-287

Identified in the book Fresh Water Invertebrates of the United States: Protozoa to Mollusca, page 282. Figure 16. 

This is my prized possession, a hydra. I last saw it on October 31, 2013 and despite much time spent looking for it today I was unable to locate it. Dr. McFarland and I spent some time researching to identify it. They seem to be a bite rare, some of the books only contained a page or two of information. This particular one is obviously a juvenile and there is a large part of the body that is not visible as it is in the soil. There also appears to be a fungi blooming from the soil to the right of the Hydra. I will attempt to identify it next week.

Today, November 05, 2013, I located an interesting worm in the center of the tank (not pictured). He seemed to have his head out and moving about from side to side digging around the plants and what I believe is algae that has begun to form, as if he were eating. After observing him I realized that he was in a tube of some sort. As I became more curious I followed his body/tube and discovered a split tail at the opposite end. He was indeed within a tube. He briefly retracted back into the tube at both ends and them reemerged with his head where his tail previously was. My little contortionist is a Duro!

Another organisms that is plentiful is one called Urocentrum. I have never seen anything move so fast. They seem to spine constantly. Urocentrum's are translucent with genetic material moving around the cell.

The microscope I used to take the digital photos is also a MicroMaster by Fisher but it has a video camera attached to it and it is marked # 96 also located in the Hessler Biology Building in room 507.

Lunch Time Week 2

On Friday October 25, 2013 Dr. McFarland added a pellet of Atison's Betta Food to each of the aquarium's. Initially I had thought that my organisms would have grown a bite but that wasn't the case. In hind site I see how silly that was. They didn't "grow," they MULTIPLIED! 

Atison's Betta Food is made by Ocean Nutrition, Aqua Pet Americas, 3528 West 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104. The ingredients include: 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 2013).

I was able to take several photos during my last observation on October 31, 2013 but I still have to identify some of my organisms. My first observation was the betta food pellet. It was teaming with organisms of several different kind. I was able to identify some Actinosphaerium, what I believe may be Rhizoids, and my prized possession at this point, a Hydra. 

Unfortunately, after my observation I spilled some water out of the aquarium, I hope I didn't loose the Hydra. This week I will identify all of the organisms I have observed up to this point, research them, include photos and detailed descriptions of each in post 3.

The microscope I have used to simply view the organisms is a MicroMaster by Fisher Scientific. Cat No. 12-56113. Made in China. Microscope marked #83.  This machine can be located in the Hessler Biology building room 507.

Assembly of Micro Aquarium and Initial Observation

Setting up the micro aquarium was an enjoyable experience. Dr. McFarland and myself took a small (micro) aquarium and matched it with a base for support and a cover to prevent anything airborne from entering. Once fitted we embarked on a journey to the botany greenhouse in the basement of the Hessler building. 

At first my little aquarium held nothing but that soon changed. Dr. McFarland filled the aquarium with water from several tanks inside and outside of the greenhouse as well as little something extra from a Nepenthes plant inside the greenhouse. This particular plant catches water as well as prey and most likely retains some digestive juices, a wonderful organism addition. The water samples came from varies depths of the water tanks. Some came from the base of the tanks accompanied by soil particles, others from the middle of the tanks, and some from just below the surface of the aquarium.

Once 3/4 the way full of water and soil particles Dr. McFarland and I where in search of a few chlorophyll plants to supply a bite of oxygen to the aquarium dwellers. There were a total of two plant specimens added. The first sample was a small piece of  Fontinalis sp. Moss and the other a Utricularia Gibba L. a carnivous flowering plant, both collected from the greenhouse downstairs.

The Fontinalis Moss was added to one side with the aid of a metal pin tool to wedge it between the thin glass layers and spread out amongst the right side. On the left side I added the sample of Utricularia Gibba and spread it out evenly. With my aquarium now complete, it's time to head back up to the lab and see what we have managed to conjure up! This aquarium was assembled on 10.22.13.

Back in the lab, I was able to carefully put the aquarium under a microscope and inspect its contents more thoroughly. Up until this point, Botany has not been my favorite class this semester. However, it's in close running with my soils class now. When I looked through the microscope I was immersed in this alternate world. 

Through the microscope I could see varies organisms in different regions of the aquarium. My first discovery were several Urocentrum (Protazoan). I am fascinated by their movement and the torch with which they spin. I also saw five other organisms but have been unable to properly identify them as of yet.