Week 6: Obervation

Last Wednesday, Novermber 17, 2010, I made my last obervation of the MircoAquarium . The lid had been removed and 1/3 of the water had evaporated. There was a large green root like organism growing on the side of the tank. I was not able to identify it as there was no teaching assistant there.

Week 5: Observation

On Wednesday,  November 10, I observed that all my previously identified organisms  Cyclops, Stylaria, Palpomyia Biting Midge (a larvae) and Hydrachna had disappeared.  I thought that the organisms had been eaten by the Hydrachna, a water mite that feeds on crustaceans and larvae but the Hydrachna was also gone

Thompson, Gerald. The Pond. 1st ed. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1984. 188

I did see two new organisms Actinophrys on the soil and many Stenostomums.  Actinophrys are freshwater microbes that have spines and axopods that come out from their center.  Prey sticks to these axopods and then cytoplasm surrounds the prey as can be seen below.

Margulis, Lynn. Five Kingdoms. 2nd ed. New York, NY: W.H. Freeman, 1988. 112

 

The Stenostomums is a Planaria, a flatworm.  They have two eyespots and are the smallest animals where you can see a tale and a head.  It attaches to its prey by suction to its pharnx and shreds its prey while eating. 

Baker, Jeffrey. The Study of Biology. 4th ed. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley, 1982. 886

Week 4: Observation

On Wednesday, November 03, looking through the 10x objective microscope, I saw one Cyclops, a Stylaria and algae Zygenma SP.    Last week I observed 4 Cyclops but this week there was only one.  I also looked at the Zygenma SP., which is an algae.  It was yellow and green and I could see that each cell was attached side to side to form the strand.  I was also able to see the chloroplast inside each cell.

Thompson, Gerald. Pond Life. Green Algae. 1984  p . 75

Week 3: Obversation

On Friday, October 22, 2010, a"Atison's Betta Food" pellet 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% was placed in each Micro Aquarium (http://botany1112010.blogspot.com).

While looking through the 10x objective microscope, I saw 4 Cyclops gathered by the Fontinalis plant, a underwater moss.  The Cyclops were inactive at the time.  I then saw a Stylaria.  The Stylaria is a worm from the class of Oligochaeta.  The worm was transparent and I was able to see his eyespot and it long proboscis from his head.

The Annelid Worms

http://www.micrographia.com/specbiol/helmint/annelhom/olig0100.htm

Week 2: Observation

October 27, 2010, while looking through the 10x objective microscope, I saw a large organism with one large eye swimming very fast back and forth between the plants.  As it swam it ate smaller organisms.  This organism was identified as a Cyclops.  Cyclops (Cyclopidae) are small Crustaceans (4mm) and belong to the family of copepods.  Cyclops are a food source for insects and small fish.

Thompson, Gerald. Pond Life. Crustacea. 1984  p . 130-131.

Week 1: Set up

During the first day, my instructor gave me a Micro Aquarium and told to pick one water source. I picked the number 10 water source. It's called Water pool below spring, Lynnhust Cemetery. It's from off of Adair Drive. Knox Co. Knoxville TN. Partial shade exposure Spring Feed Pond N36 01. 357 W83 55. 731 and 958 ft. The sample was taken on 10/10/2010. (http://botany1112010.blogspot.com/). With a small dropper I took some water from the top and middle of my Micro Aquarium. I then put plant A, a Fontinalis on the left side of my Micro Aquarium and plant B, Uticularia on the right side.