My microaquarium looked very cluttered this week. I observed an increase in euplotes, cyanobacteria, and paramecium. The middle of the tank was characterized by a great amount of debris, diatoms, bacteria, and various motile organisms. In some places, the cyanobacteria grew in clumps so thick that rotifers had trouble swimming through it. In the soil layer, organisms were living underneath the soil at the very bottom of the tank. These organisms included annelids, large rotifers, and nematodes. Near the top of the tank, my plants continued to decay.
Organisms:
Annelids: I found this annelid (Egmond W V, 1995) burying large tunnels in the soil layer. It was so long that I could not view it all at once. It moved in fast, jerky motions, constantly burying deeper into the soil.
Unidentifiable amoebic organisms: These organisms, which I previously thought were difflugia, changed shape since last week. They proved impossible to identify. Last week they were circular, clear and smooth. This week they had increased by at least double or triple and had developed scales. They also were enclosed in a clear, gelatinous matrix that held them together.
Rotifers: I did not observe an increase or decrease in my rotifers, however, many changed in size and color. In this picture, I caught one feeding near the discarded molted shell of an ostracod.
Flatworms: This is the same flatworm (Egmond W V, 1995) that I have been observing for the past 4 weeks. I found it near the soil layer, where it usually is.
Green algae: This is coleochaete (Tiffany LH, Britton ME, 1952). I only found one cluster of them, at the bottom of the tank.
Bibliography:
Tiffany LH, Britton ME. 1952. The Algae of Illinois. Chicago, Illinois: The University of Chicago Press. 39 p. Figure 76.
Egmond W V. 1995 [cited 2010 Nov 14].Worms. [Internet]. United Kingdom: Microscopy-UK. Available from: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/wimsmall/smal1.html.
Egmond W V. 1995 [cited 2010 Nov 14].Rotifers. [Internet]. United Kingdom: Microscopy-UK. Available from: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/index.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/pond/index.html.
No comments:
Post a Comment