Observation Day 3 - 10/27/09

This week's observation was very productive. Under the supervision of Dr. McFarland, I learned a substantial number of facts about the creatures in my MicroAquarium™. I also captured some images of my microorganisms that will be posted next week.

My first observation was that my plants seemed to have spread out across my aquarium in bits and pieces. I am assuming that either someone bumped it and shook the plant loose or my microorganisms are moving it around. The soil level is even lower this week than last, and I think this has to do with the activity of the Cyclopses who seem to munch on muck. I spotted three of them once again, but I'm sure some are hiding. Also, the food pellet is deteriorating with the help of the many microorganisms that were surrounding it.

The bell-on-a-stalk creatures that I discussed have been identified as Vorticella. They have flagella that whip around in sync to create a whirling motion. They use this motion to rotate the water around them to bring food closer.

There were several more Gastrotrichs present than last time, a few of them being juvenile.

The Euglena have also increased in numbers and were seen most frequently around the food pellet.

A new find was Actinosphaerium. These look like balls covered in needles, and I'll have an image up next week. They were very plentiful in the aquarium in all locations: top, bottom, and middle. They weren't very active, and only one moved at all. This was due to the whirling of the Vorticella nearby.

I could not find the Daphnia that was present the last observation, but I am sure it is somewhere in there.

Lecane was present on Plant B. It was transparent and looked almost like a beetle. It has a turtle-like shell and appears to eat the plant.

The most plentiful microorganism is the diatom. Thousands upon thousands of these little guys in all shapes and sizes have developed across the entire aquarium. They don't seem to move much, but they are a bright green color, so I assume they are photosynthetic and thus don't have to move to procure food.

Finally, the most interesting find of the day was a fabric-looking item sticking out of the muck. Upon zooming in, it is composed of circular green cells that come together in a uniform block of cells. It is assumed to be an algae, but the specific type is uncertain at this point. It could also be a cyanobacteria.

Observation Day 2 - 10/25/09

The first thing I noticed upon retrieving my MicroAquarium™ was that the soil had been depleted. The water levels were also decreased by about 1/3, which I believe to have been caused by someone accidentally knocking it over. However upon examination, there weren't very many soil particles strewn about the aquarium, so it is to be assumed that one of the creatures is consuming the muck.

Under the microscope, I noticed a variety of changes in the inhabitants.

The seed shrimp couldn't be found, and at first I thought that I had found its corpse. Upon closer inspection, it was a Daphnia. I have to wonder how I failed to find such a relatively large creature the last time.

There was an increase in the number of Euglena floating about. However there was only one Gastrotrich to be found, a different one from the one that was struggling before. The previous one was almost a blue color, and this one was transparent.

The nematodes have nearly tripled in number. I counted six in the thirty minutes I was observing. They were all transparent with visible insides.

I managed to find the white blur this time as well. It is a copepod, more specifically the Cyclops. There were three that I could see. One was reddish in color, and the other two were transparent. All three had the distinct eyespot and the long, horn-like antennas. I managed to catch one of them consuming muck. One of them was even a female, identified by the egg-sacs.

Two new creatures were observed as well.

The first was the Myoneme Carchesium. They looked almost like bells on the end of a stalk. They are fibers, and they had a bluish color to them. There were three separate colonies on different parts of the aquarium: by the soil, by the surface, and in the middle.

Next there was the Lacrymaria olor. I only found one of these little guys, but it captivated me. To move, it looks almost like one of the sticky hands that kids play with: it just stretches like rubber. It would look like a little teardrop, and then it would expand to look like a thread. It seemed to be bothering the corpse of a Cyclops.

After I completed my observations, I placed a pellet of Atison's Betta Food in my aquarium. It is made by Ocean Nutrition, a trademark of Aqua Pet Americas, at 3528 West 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104. It's made of 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%; Ash 15%.

The objectives for next week are to monitor the populations of each of these creatures, examine them for changes, watch the soil levels, and look for any new creatures.

Observation 1 - Meeting my Microorganisms (10/13/09)

October 13, 2009:

We established our MicroAquariums™. Each aquarium was composed of a glass tank, a stand, and a lid. The first step was to code each aquarium for identification for later observations. Colorful dots corresponding to section, table, and seat were used along with our initials - one initial per dot. My code was Yellow K, Green E, Green O.

Next we chose from thirteen water samples to fill our aquariums. My hypothesis was that the water from Lynnhurst Cemetery would be one of the more diverse, so I selected it for my aquarium. The following image as well as a description, the date obtained, and the coordinates can be found here: www.botany1112009.blogspot.com

Using a pipet, water was extracted from the appropriate container. The first 1/3 of the aquarium was filled with water from the bottom of the dish along with a thin layer of muck from the source. The next 1/3 came from the middle of the source dish. The rest came from the surface.

Once filled, two plants were placed inside. The first was a moss (scientific name: Amblystegium varium (Hedw.) Lindb.)

Image obtained from http://bryophytes.plant.siu.edu/imAmblystegiumVarium.html

The second was Bladderwort (scientific name: Utricularia vulgaris L.) Information on these two plants can be found on the previously stated website.

Image obtained from http://www.treknature.com/gallery/photo81151.htm

After these were inserted, we viewed the aquariums under a microscope to record the initial organisms. As expected, there was a variety of various microorganisms in the cemetery sample.

The first critter I came across was a Euglenoid. This algae has a characteristic red eyespot which is used to sense light. The only movements it made was to turn in circles using a motion called metaboly. Information on this algae was found here: http://silicasecchidisk.conncoll.edu/LucidKeys/Carolina_Key/html/Euglenoids.html

Image found at http://www.nhm.ac.uk/resources-rx/images/phacus-acuminatus_31540_1.jpg

The next one was the parasitic nematode. It has a transparent body and whips about in a flailing motion to move. However mine only turned in circles. There were several of these, and they tended to reside near the muck.

Image obtained from http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/bennett-lab/nematode.jpg

There was one Gastrotrich, but it appeared to either be stuck on something or in the midst of death. There were unidentified microorganisms that were at its side, but I am uncertain as to whether or not they were the cause of its dilemma. It had the characteristic two tails and cilia from what I could see. Hopefully it will be mobile and alive next week.

Image obtained from http://www2.hawaii.edu/~hejnol/gastrotrich.jpg

The most interesting find in my opinion was the seed shrimp or Ostracod. Spotted without its shell, this little guy was thrashing around in the muck, appearing to be stuck like the Gastrotrich. It had arm-like appendages that circled about to move him along. I hope to see it next week as well with its new shell.

Image obtained from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ostracod.JPG

While I was documenting the struggles of the Gastrotrich, a white, possibly transparent microorganism whizzed by. When I tried to follow, I lost it. Next week I will find it and identify it along with some of the smaller ones that zipped along.

Stay tuned!