Blog 5- Observations on November 13, 2013

This was the last observation on my microaquarium. The aquarium was fairly unchanged. I did not observe any new species, but many, such as the rotifers, died out. I found my unknown ciliate and he had reproduced. There were at least two, maybe three, of this unknown species. Dr. McFarland and I were still unable to identify him after three weeks of searching. Last week I stated that he lacked a central vacuole. This week, we believe that there may be a vacuole, however, he still does not match any species in the books. There is not much research being done on microorganisms currently, so the ciliate could have simply been missed with the older research, or it is a new species. I hope someday I will find out what he really is, but for now he is a mystery.

Blog 4- Observations on November 6, 2013

(Patterson 2003)

(Forest 1954)

(Forest 1954)

(Patterson 2003)

(Rainis 1996)

(Pennak)

(Rainis 1996)

(Patterson 2003)

(Pennak)

(Pennak)

 

 

Not much changed occurred in the microaquarium from when I checked the week before. However, the rotifers do seem to be dying as I have found a few dead rotifers and did not observe any that were alive this week. The two organisms that state that they are unknown are very difficult to identify. They almost fit in with certain species, but something is always off. Most notably, they are missing a central vacuole at their tip. It is possible that they are not listed in the books available in the lab room, or it is also possible that they are a new species, which is very possible with microorganisms.





 

Bibliography

Forest HS. 1954. Handbook of Algae. The University of Tennessee Press. 464 p.

Patterson DJ. 2003. Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa. Washington DC: Wolfe Publishing Ltd. 223 p.

Pennak RW. 2001. Fresh-Water Invertebrates of the United States Protozoa to Mollusca. 3rd edition. 648 p.

Rainis KG, Russell BJ. 1996. Guide to Microlife. Franklin Watts. 288 p.

Blog 3- Observations on October 31, 2013

This week I was able to identify some of the microorganisms. Most of the larger creatures were rotifers. There were many one celled protists who lived everywhere in the aquarium, but were most common in the middle region and around food sources. There was also algae and bacteria. I was able to identify Epiphanes and Limnias Rotifers according to Kenneth G. Rainis and Bruce J. Russell's book Guide to Microlife. The Limnias were very interesting. They were attached to a plant stem and had two loops on the head. Cilia lined the loops and moved in a rotating fashion. When you tap the aquarium, the heads of the Limnias suck into their tube bodies and slowly come back out.
Overall, most of the organisms I was able to identify were rotifers, and they lived mainly in the middle regions with the plants, but occasionally ventured towards the sides.