Observation 4

There are some immediate changes that are apparent in the Micro Aquarium this week. Firstly, the water level is even lower than it was last week (measuring up to about 1/3 of the Micro Aquarium). Secondly, there are many less rotifers in the water (from last week as well as overall). Their numbers have diminished from the hundreds to just a few. They are still moving: some are swimming, some have curled up, and some have latched onto small particles in the aquarium with their "toes", possibly in order to catch food moving by. They are also evenly distributed across the water in the aquarium, as opposed to the first week's observations when they were more heavily distributed in the scum at the bottom.

The spores that have been appearing over the last couple of weeks have multiplied also. Instead of just appearing here and there, they are everywhere, in every frame now, with approximately 500 spores per frame (4X objective).

There is also still an abundance of bacteria and protista life, most noticeably an increase in the cyanobacteria nostoc population, as they are everywhere now. In addition I have managed to locate another speicmen of the unknown cyanobacteria, many specimens of cyanobacteria calothrix, and one specimen of the amoeba protist (but not the other two protistas).

Some of these spores and microorganisms have persisted above the water level.

New this week is a filamentous development around the greenery added to the top of the aquarium 4 weeks ago, clustering mostly on the side of the greenery that is above the water level. Under the highest objective I cannot detect any organelles or different cells (they appear as long unbroken strings). Could possibly be a developing fungi.

In addition, there are also some clusters of small circles or sacs, that have the same coloring as the rotifer philodinas, that I noticed during the first observation, in the birdbath scum at the bottom of the aquarium. That initial cluster has been gone for a couple of weeks now, but this new cluster is located at the tip of some greenery at the top of the aquarium. Movement is uncertain, but since their coloring is identical, I think that they are alternate forms of the rotifer philodinas - either sleeping, or more likely in the reproduction stages before "birth."

Observation 3

There are markedly less Rotifer Philodinas this week; most are still swimming around, and there are more Rotifers that are much smaller in size, indicating that they are perhaps reproducing. There is also growth, either protist or algae, in small clumps on the inside walls of the Micro Aquarium.

Dr. McFarland identified many different types of microorganisms in the sample that I had not noticed before.

First, there are three types of cyanobacteria in the sample: Cyanobacteria Nostoc, Cyanobacteria Calothrix, and an unknown cyanobacteria. According to the Berkeley website on cyanobacteria, they are aquatic and photosynthetic bacteria, responsible for the generation of oxygen in the atmosphere billions of years ago, and are probably responsible for giving early plant forms the chloroplasts needed for photosynthesis. The website for more information is http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/cyanointro.html.

Cyanobacteria Nostoc: a freshwater bacteria; are single-celled but can form colonies; perform photosynthesis without chloroplasts; do not have a nucleus or internal membrane system.*

Cyanobacteria Calothrix

unknown cyanobacteria

There was also a large array of protist life in the Mircro Aquarium. Protists are a kingdom of life that are eukaryotic and cannot be categorized into any of the other kingdoms (fungi, animals, plants). Three types of protists were identified in the water sample: Amoeba Protist, Protist Difflugia, and Protist Vorticella.

Amoeba Protist: single-celled protist; movement caused by extension of pseudopodia ("false feet"); it surrounds and engulfs its food; has a nucleus. **

Protist Difflugia: single-celled protist; has a protective shell that surrounds the cell.**

Protist Vorticella: has cellular specialization (stalk and inverted bell shapes); can swim freely or anchor themselves to small particles; reproduce by fission (budding); have cilia and a nucleus. ***

Dr. McFarland also located another type of rotifer: the Rotifer Lecane. In this picture also are some small spore-like dots that are attached to each other, and permeated most of the Micro Aquarium. They resemble spores from algae meiosis, and I believe are strong signs of the reproduction cycles of the algae in the aquarium.

Rotifer Lecane and spores

*http://www.microscopyu.com/galleries/confocal/nostoc.html

**http://www1.fccj.org/dbyres/protista.htm

***http://www.microscope-microscope.org/applications/pond-critters/protozoans/ciliphora/vorticella.htm

Observation 2

During the week a pellet of "Atison's Betta Food"* was added to the aquarium.

I do not notice much change in the sample, though.

There are still many of the same microorganisms, now identified as Rotifer Philodenas. According to Berkeley's website on Rotifer Philodinas, they are found in many freshwater environments, including lakes and birdbaths, as well as rivers, streams, mosses, lichens, rain gutters, puddles, mushrooms and many other places.

They are multi-cellular, with specialized organ systems and a complete digestive tract that are visible in the picture below. They have a crown of cilia at their heads that create a vortex to pull water and thus food into their digestive tracts; this movement looks like the spinning of a wheel. Their method of movement is due to the fact that their bodies are telescopic and extendable (they move like inchworms) and may be related to arthropods and roundworms.

They eat decomposing organic matter, unicellular algae, and phytoplankton (they are omnivorous).

The Berkeley website gives a lot more information, which I'm not going to post here. The website is http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/phyla/rotifera/rotifera.html.

Thanks to Dr. McFarland for taking this picture.

*Atison's Betta Food info: 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%.

Observation 1

My sample is # 7 - water taken from a birdbath.

The only life visible in the sample is a type of microorganism that I have not yet identified. There are very many of them located everywhere in the sample, but most profusely at the bottom of the water in the "scum" taken from the birdbath. They are visible using the 4X objective on the microscope.

The microorganisms are swimming in the water and the scum, but some are more stationary in the scum. They move like inchworms, and a few have swum to the moss at the top of the water (added by me). They are probably multi-cellular, with a clear orange-ish color (non-photosynthetic).

The microorganisms swim linearly; their method of propulsion is unknown so far.

There are also organisms that are shaped like round balls attached to parts of the scum, with the same coloring as the swimming organisms, so I think that they are either eggs or just sleeping microorganisms.

There is one spinning green shell that is shaped like a nautilus, but I can't tell so far if it is something alive, or just an empty shell being spun by something else.