Here is a short video I took of Euglena spirogyra.
Sunday
References
Here is a list of the sources I used to identify the organisms in my MicroAquarium:
Fresh-Water Invertebrates of the United States
Robert W. Pennak
1989
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Canada
The Algae of Illinois
Lewis Hanford Tiffany and Max Edwin Button
1952
The University of Chicago Press
Chicago
Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa: A Colour Guide
D. J. Patterson
1996
Manson Publishing Ltd.
London
Fresh-Water Invertebrates of the United States
Robert W. Pennak
1989
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Canada
The Algae of Illinois
Lewis Hanford Tiffany and Max Edwin Button
1952
The University of Chicago Press
Chicago
Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa: A Colour Guide
D. J. Patterson
1996
Manson Publishing Ltd.
London
Final Observation
This week was the final observation of my MircoAquarium. The first thing I noticed was that about two-thirds of the water in my MicroAquarium had evaporated. This made it a little more difficult to find the surviving organisms living in the water. There were still some present, although, I viewed numerous carcasses floating about.
The most exciting thing to note was that I discovered a new organism. I saw several of them skimming the MicroAquarium. I would say that these organisms had been developing over time and were just recently able to be seen. They appeared to be eating the decaying debris and carnage of the MicroAquarium "floor." These organisms were clear in color and had a split tail. Their bodies were lined with cilia. I saw about 3 of these organisms: gastrotriches. After doing some research, I found out that gastrotriches eat bacteria, algae, small protozoan, and organic detritus (Pennak, 1989). While watching, I saw a gastrotrich eat a diatom.
Another find were the Lecane rotifers. There were a handful of them still living, as well as a couple that were deceased. The rotifers flowed around in the water with ease. They had a circular clear body with a single tale at their posterior end.
The algae in the MicroAquarium had grown substantally. There was lots of algae and cyanobacteria present in the MicroAquarium. One particular patch of cyanobacteria was from the Merismopedia genus (Tiffany and Button, 1952). It looked like a checkboard of dark green squares.
There were also a good amount of tiny clear spheres darting around in the water. They were present in the plant material of Plant B. They seemed to be "throbbing" and appeared to move by means of flagella. I was unable to identify these organisms.
I saw a Euglena, which Dr. McFarland and I identified by keying it out in The Algae of Illinois. It was Euglena spirogyra. I took a short video of this particular organism as well as snapped a couple of photos. It was really neat to see the details that made up the structures of this organism. Under magnification, you could see the ridges within it. There was a flagella at the anterior end and a single tail at the posterior end of the Euglena spirogyra.
Diatoms were also present; they were scattered throughout the MicroAquarium. These organisms are not motile. Another organism I spied was in the Aspidisca genus. These are some of the smallest hypotrich ciliates (Patterson, 1996). They are clear in color, spherical in shape, and have cilia on both ends. There is a "hook" structure on one end. The final organism I identified was a Tachysoma--a hypotrich with dorsal bristles, brownish color, and immobile in nature (Patterson, 1996).
In conclusion, I enjoyed viewing my MicroAquarium. It gave me the opportunity to explore the world of freshwater invertebrates. I was enlightened as to how a small amount of water could contain such a diverse ecosystem. Towards the end, I saw a decline in the activity and presense of living organisms in my MicroAquarium. I feel that if this project had continued on, the ultimate decline of the entire ecosystem would have been in the near future. I believe this would have been due to a lack of food, inadequate sunlight, and loss of water in the MicroAquarium.
The most exciting thing to note was that I discovered a new organism. I saw several of them skimming the MicroAquarium. I would say that these organisms had been developing over time and were just recently able to be seen. They appeared to be eating the decaying debris and carnage of the MicroAquarium "floor." These organisms were clear in color and had a split tail. Their bodies were lined with cilia. I saw about 3 of these organisms: gastrotriches. After doing some research, I found out that gastrotriches eat bacteria, algae, small protozoan, and organic detritus (Pennak, 1989). While watching, I saw a gastrotrich eat a diatom.
Another find were the Lecane rotifers. There were a handful of them still living, as well as a couple that were deceased. The rotifers flowed around in the water with ease. They had a circular clear body with a single tale at their posterior end.
The algae in the MicroAquarium had grown substantally. There was lots of algae and cyanobacteria present in the MicroAquarium. One particular patch of cyanobacteria was from the Merismopedia genus (Tiffany and Button, 1952). It looked like a checkboard of dark green squares.
There were also a good amount of tiny clear spheres darting around in the water. They were present in the plant material of Plant B. They seemed to be "throbbing" and appeared to move by means of flagella. I was unable to identify these organisms.
I saw a Euglena, which Dr. McFarland and I identified by keying it out in The Algae of Illinois. It was Euglena spirogyra. I took a short video of this particular organism as well as snapped a couple of photos. It was really neat to see the details that made up the structures of this organism. Under magnification, you could see the ridges within it. There was a flagella at the anterior end and a single tail at the posterior end of the Euglena spirogyra.
Diatoms were also present; they were scattered throughout the MicroAquarium. These organisms are not motile. Another organism I spied was in the Aspidisca genus. These are some of the smallest hypotrich ciliates (Patterson, 1996). They are clear in color, spherical in shape, and have cilia on both ends. There is a "hook" structure on one end. The final organism I identified was a Tachysoma--a hypotrich with dorsal bristles, brownish color, and immobile in nature (Patterson, 1996).
In conclusion, I enjoyed viewing my MicroAquarium. It gave me the opportunity to explore the world of freshwater invertebrates. I was enlightened as to how a small amount of water could contain such a diverse ecosystem. Towards the end, I saw a decline in the activity and presense of living organisms in my MicroAquarium. I feel that if this project had continued on, the ultimate decline of the entire ecosystem would have been in the near future. I believe this would have been due to a lack of food, inadequate sunlight, and loss of water in the MicroAquarium.
Wednesday
Observation 4
During this week's observation, I noticed that there was not much change in the overall setting of my Micro Aquarium. I am still seeing the same organisms doing the same things. The amount of activity has neither increased nor decreased.
Organisms that are still present in my Micro Aquarium include: euglenoids, vortacella, green algae, rotifers, paramecium, actinosphaerium, and a handful of creatures that I am still not sure as to what they are. I have yet to see the cyclops from my initial viewing of my Micro Aquarium. I believe it has died and something ate it.
Most of the activity in the Micro Aquarium seems to be near Plant B. One hypothesis I have is that this plant contains more desirable nutrients than Plant A. Many of the organisms I have found in the Mirco Aquarium seem to eat Plant B or feed off of it. Another hypothesis I have is that Plant A is not a familiar plant to the organisms living in my Micro Aquarium. It could be that Plant A is not a native species to the natural ecosystem of the organisms found at my water source (source 11).
Organisms that are still present in my Micro Aquarium include: euglenoids, vortacella, green algae, rotifers, paramecium, actinosphaerium, and a handful of creatures that I am still not sure as to what they are. I have yet to see the cyclops from my initial viewing of my Micro Aquarium. I believe it has died and something ate it.
Most of the activity in the Micro Aquarium seems to be near Plant B. One hypothesis I have is that this plant contains more desirable nutrients than Plant A. Many of the organisms I have found in the Mirco Aquarium seem to eat Plant B or feed off of it. Another hypothesis I have is that Plant A is not a familiar plant to the organisms living in my Micro Aquarium. It could be that Plant A is not a native species to the natural ecosystem of the organisms found at my water source (source 11).
Sunday
Observation 3
On Thurs. October 29th, I made my third observation of the micro aquarium. At first, I did not see much activity. However, with the help of Dr. McFarland, I identified several organisms. Using books and charts, I verified the classifications of what I was identifying.
The first thing I spied was a cube-like structure, green in color, and with a red spot at the bottom tip. It was seen near Plant A, at the bottom of the aquarium, and it was not moving. I am not sure as to what type of organism this was. Perhaps it was a type of algae. Also in Plant A, I found a fresh water protist (a ciliate). It was clear, semi-circle-shaped, and had a "squirming" motion. It was on a brown substance nestled in the foliage of Plant A. This organism appeared to be eating the brown substance. Another organism found slowly moving near Plant A was small and green. There were actually dozens of these, some moving and some not. They were possibly Desmids.
I did not see the Cyclops (copepod) from last week's observation. It is possible that this Micro Invertebrate died over the couse of last week.
Some other organisms to note were a Euglenoid--a unicellular organism with flagella and a red eye spot, a Helicoidens--single-celled protist, and some Vortacella--Protozoa with cilia in the phylum Ciliophora. There were many vortacella seen by themselves in the water.
Near Plant B, I saw an organism spiriling. Dr. McFarland identified this to be a Philodina--a rotifer (Micro Intevertebrate). It was quite interesting to watch the motion of this particular organism. Inside the bladders of Plant B were paramecium--protists. They were eating the debris that was trapped and decaying inside the bladders of the plant. While I was watching this, I also saw an Actinosphaerium--multi nuclei Protozoa with pseudopodia in the phylum Sarcodina. It was shaped like a sun with rays protruding from all sides. This organism eats rotifers. The one I was watching was immature; I could see it getting bigger over time. There was a clear organism covered in cilia or flagella crawling on the stalk of Plant B. It appeared to be feeding on the plant material. I could not identify this organism using the charts in lab. Another organism appeared to be eating Plant B. It was clear and round with a small circular head and a tail. This organism glided through the water with a smooth swimming motion. I think this was either another rotifer (Phylum Rotifera) or a daphnia (mirco invertebrate).
Several "clumps" of cube-clusters were near the bottom of the aquarium beneath Plant B. They were greenish in color. Lots of euglenoids were near these structures. More actinosphaerium were found near this area as well. Nothing was moving. One other organism seen in the bottom of the aquarium was a tiny clear ball. It was moving irratically in the bottom of the aquarium.
There is definitely more activity near Plant B in my micro aquarium. Not much is going on near Plant A. Most of the organisms I viewed during Observation 3 were things I have already seen in my micro aquarium. I would say the the amount of activity seen this week approximately equals the amount of activity seen last week in my micro aquarium.
The first thing I spied was a cube-like structure, green in color, and with a red spot at the bottom tip. It was seen near Plant A, at the bottom of the aquarium, and it was not moving. I am not sure as to what type of organism this was. Perhaps it was a type of algae. Also in Plant A, I found a fresh water protist (a ciliate). It was clear, semi-circle-shaped, and had a "squirming" motion. It was on a brown substance nestled in the foliage of Plant A. This organism appeared to be eating the brown substance. Another organism found slowly moving near Plant A was small and green. There were actually dozens of these, some moving and some not. They were possibly Desmids.
I did not see the Cyclops (copepod) from last week's observation. It is possible that this Micro Invertebrate died over the couse of last week.
Some other organisms to note were a Euglenoid--a unicellular organism with flagella and a red eye spot, a Helicoidens--single-celled protist, and some Vortacella--Protozoa with cilia in the phylum Ciliophora. There were many vortacella seen by themselves in the water.
Near Plant B, I saw an organism spiriling. Dr. McFarland identified this to be a Philodina--a rotifer (Micro Intevertebrate). It was quite interesting to watch the motion of this particular organism. Inside the bladders of Plant B were paramecium--protists. They were eating the debris that was trapped and decaying inside the bladders of the plant. While I was watching this, I also saw an Actinosphaerium--multi nuclei Protozoa with pseudopodia in the phylum Sarcodina. It was shaped like a sun with rays protruding from all sides. This organism eats rotifers. The one I was watching was immature; I could see it getting bigger over time. There was a clear organism covered in cilia or flagella crawling on the stalk of Plant B. It appeared to be feeding on the plant material. I could not identify this organism using the charts in lab. Another organism appeared to be eating Plant B. It was clear and round with a small circular head and a tail. This organism glided through the water with a smooth swimming motion. I think this was either another rotifer (Phylum Rotifera) or a daphnia (mirco invertebrate).
Several "clumps" of cube-clusters were near the bottom of the aquarium beneath Plant B. They were greenish in color. Lots of euglenoids were near these structures. More actinosphaerium were found near this area as well. Nothing was moving. One other organism seen in the bottom of the aquarium was a tiny clear ball. It was moving irratically in the bottom of the aquarium.
There is definitely more activity near Plant B in my micro aquarium. Not much is going on near Plant A. Most of the organisms I viewed during Observation 3 were things I have already seen in my micro aquarium. I would say the the amount of activity seen this week approximately equals the amount of activity seen last week in my micro aquarium.
Feeding the Micro Aquarium
During the week of Oct. 19th-23rd the micro aquarium was fed "Atison's Betta Food." One beta food pellet was added to the aquarium. This pellet's ingredients include: fish meal, wheat flower, soy meal, krill meal, minerals, vitamins and preservatives. The actual percentages found is this particular pellet are: Crude Protein 36%; Crude fat 4.5%; Crude Fiber 3.5%; Moisture 8% and Ash 15%. It is manufactured by Ocean Nutrition, Aqua Pet Americas, which is located at 3528 West 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104.
Friday
Observation 2
On Friday, October 23rd, I made the second observation of my MicroAquarium. I saw a few of the same organisms as before. I saw several euglenoids (organisms that look like small blades of grass with a red eye spot at the end). They were barely moving. I saw some dark green spherical-shaped organisms that were not moving. These were possibly green algae, which are single-celled organisms. I observed a Protozoa swimming slowly near Plant A. It was a round single-celled organism with a single eye spot and a flagella at the opposite end. Another observation I made near Plant A was a round clear organism the appeared to be throbbing. It was stationary, but its insides seemed to be throbbing like the beating of a human heart.
I saw some new organisms, or organisms I do not recall seeing during the first observation. The most impressive one was a slow-swimming Arthropod. It stayed close to Plant A. I think it was a Crustacea--Copepod. It was clear and had a red dot at the top of its "head." The center of its body was orange. It had 2 antennae and 2 tails. Another guess as to what it was is a Gastrotrich, because they have 2 tails. Something rather interesting I saw was a series of connected cube shapes. I think they are either Water-Web (green algae) or blue-green algae.
Some of the organisms I observed were clear. One was round and shaped like a tiny ball. It moved in a circular motion. The other was a clear rod-shaped organism. I saw a couple of these. They squiggled and had snake-like motion. These could be Nematodes (Roundworms). One was near Plant B. It looked like it was either attaching itself to the plant or it was eating the plant. I saw a series of 3 clear tulip-shaped organisms that were not moving. These were located near the bottom of the MicroAquarium. I think they were single-celled Protozoa--Ciliates--Peritrichs. Another colorless organism I found in my MicroAquarium looked like an insect. It had a small round head attached to a larger rounded body. There was some type of tapered flagella coming off the end of its body. This describes the view from the top. From the side, it looked like a toenail clipping. This creature was seen at the bottom of the aquarium. It moved with a flowing motion. The last little creature I spied was a small oval-shaped organism near the bottom of the aquarium. It moved by squenching its body up.
Overall, I think there is more activity in my MicroAquarium than there was when I first set it up.
I saw some new organisms, or organisms I do not recall seeing during the first observation. The most impressive one was a slow-swimming Arthropod. It stayed close to Plant A. I think it was a Crustacea--Copepod. It was clear and had a red dot at the top of its "head." The center of its body was orange. It had 2 antennae and 2 tails. Another guess as to what it was is a Gastrotrich, because they have 2 tails. Something rather interesting I saw was a series of connected cube shapes. I think they are either Water-Web (green algae) or blue-green algae.
Some of the organisms I observed were clear. One was round and shaped like a tiny ball. It moved in a circular motion. The other was a clear rod-shaped organism. I saw a couple of these. They squiggled and had snake-like motion. These could be Nematodes (Roundworms). One was near Plant B. It looked like it was either attaching itself to the plant or it was eating the plant. I saw a series of 3 clear tulip-shaped organisms that were not moving. These were located near the bottom of the MicroAquarium. I think they were single-celled Protozoa--Ciliates--Peritrichs. Another colorless organism I found in my MicroAquarium looked like an insect. It had a small round head attached to a larger rounded body. There was some type of tapered flagella coming off the end of its body. This describes the view from the top. From the side, it looked like a toenail clipping. This creature was seen at the bottom of the aquarium. It moved with a flowing motion. The last little creature I spied was a small oval-shaped organism near the bottom of the aquarium. It moved by squenching its body up.
Overall, I think there is more activity in my MicroAquarium than there was when I first set it up.
Information about The Plants in My MicroAquarium
The two plants in my MicroAquarium are Plant A and Plant B. Plant A is Amblystegium varium (Hedw.) Lindb Moss. It was collected from a natural spring at Carters Mill Park which is located in Knox County, TN on Carter Mill Road. This location is in partial shade.
Plant B is Utricularia vulgaris L. Flowering carnivorous plant. The orginial specimen was taken from the south shore of Spain Lake. This water source is located off of Camp Bella Air Rd. which is east of Sparta, TN. There are water tanks outside of the greenhouse at the Hesler Biology Building on the campus of the University of Tennessee. In these tanks, the original plant material is growing. From these growing plants is where the Plant B sample was taken.
Plant B is Utricularia vulgaris L. Flowering carnivorous plant. The orginial specimen was taken from the south shore of Spain Lake. This water source is located off of Camp Bella Air Rd. which is east of Sparta, TN. There are water tanks outside of the greenhouse at the Hesler Biology Building on the campus of the University of Tennessee. In these tanks, the original plant material is growing. From these growing plants is where the Plant B sample was taken.
Thursday
Setting up the Aquarium and Initial Observations
On Wednesday, October 14th, I set up my micro aquarium. I started by using a pipette to inject sediment and water from water source 10. This source is a water pool located below Lynnhurst Cemetery just off Adair Drive. It is spring fed and in partial shade. After I filled the mirco aquarium half way, I placed one section of Plant A and one section of Plant B in the mirco aquarium. These specimens were situated on either side of the micro aquarium so that they were not touching. Once in place, I continued to fill the reminder of my micro aquarium (almost to the top) with water from source 10.
After completion of creating my mirco aquarium, I placed it under a mircoscope for observation. There was much activity in the micro aquarium. With the naked eye, I could see the occasional organism swim by. Under the magnification of the microscope, I discovered all sorts of creatures. I viewed a small, green oval-shaped organism (which I believe to be a paramecium). It was moving across the mirco aquarium with a spiraling motion. Another organism I found was an euglenoid; this organism resembled a small blade of green grass with a red dot at the tip. The red dot is a photo sensor which the organism uses to find light. Twice I saw what appeared to be a flat creature with 2 long antenna sprouting from the anterior region. This organism resembled an insect. One last thing I saw was some type of shrimp, possibly the cousin of a Sea Monkey. It remained in the same position for quite awhile and seemed to be pulsating. Its behavior was unlike any of the other organisms I observed. Everything else seemed to dart and quickly move across my viewing area.
Overall, I observed several different types of organisms. It will be interesting to see how they interact with each other over the progression of time.
After completion of creating my mirco aquarium, I placed it under a mircoscope for observation. There was much activity in the micro aquarium. With the naked eye, I could see the occasional organism swim by. Under the magnification of the microscope, I discovered all sorts of creatures. I viewed a small, green oval-shaped organism (which I believe to be a paramecium). It was moving across the mirco aquarium with a spiraling motion. Another organism I found was an euglenoid; this organism resembled a small blade of green grass with a red dot at the tip. The red dot is a photo sensor which the organism uses to find light. Twice I saw what appeared to be a flat creature with 2 long antenna sprouting from the anterior region. This organism resembled an insect. One last thing I saw was some type of shrimp, possibly the cousin of a Sea Monkey. It remained in the same position for quite awhile and seemed to be pulsating. Its behavior was unlike any of the other organisms I observed. Everything else seemed to dart and quickly move across my viewing area.
Overall, I observed several different types of organisms. It will be interesting to see how they interact with each other over the progression of time.
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