Just as last week the M.A. has once again become a completely different environment. Only two microorganisms were identifiable this week, and the plant material has changed.
The leafy plant material located approximately half-way down in the center of the M.A. is beginning to turn brown (from green). The same plant material that is at the bottom has however become more lush. This lush material seems to be responsible for the larger amounts of microorganisms towards the bottom of the M.A..
The most stable population of the microorganisms seems to be the species of Rotifer known as Euchalanis. These rotifers could be found all over the M.A. but the highest concentrations were found in and around the sediment and plant material at the bottom (http://msnucleus.org/watersheds/mission/holoplankton.html).
The next microorganism I observed was one that I thought I had seen in previous weeks but was not sure, and it is a Paramecium (Guide to Microlife, pg 174). I could not tell what type of paramecium it was specifically, but the flagella that are located all around the outside of it's body were one of the defining traits that helped me identify it. There were only a few of these as it was difficult to distinguish them from the Euchalanis.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Observation Week #3
If one thing has remained constant throughout the MicroAquarium (M.A.) project, it is that when the water level changes, everything inside the water changes. This week I arrived at the lab to observe my MicroAquarium to find that about 1/4 of the had evaporated (leaving the food pellet from last week above the waterline). An overall decrease in the number of microorganisms present seems to have taken place due to the decrease in water level.
I was able to find at least one of each of the microorganisms that I had found the past two weeks except for two of them. The Midge I had obsereved in the sediment at the bottom of the MicroAquarium last week was still in the sediment not too far from where I first saw it. There were Rotifer to be found all throughout M.A., as they have been since the begining.
The two microorganisms I could not find that I had in weeks past, were the Lacymaria or the Cyclops. The numbers of these two that I had previously seen was low and even after checking in the places where I seen them before, I could not find a single one of them.
I was able to find at least one of each of the microorganisms that I had found the past two weeks except for two of them. The Midge I had obsereved in the sediment at the bottom of the MicroAquarium last week was still in the sediment not too far from where I first saw it. There were Rotifer to be found all throughout M.A., as they have been since the begining.
The two microorganisms I could not find that I had in weeks past, were the Lacymaria or the Cyclops. The numbers of these two that I had previously seen was low and even after checking in the places where I seen them before, I could not find a single one of them.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Observation: Week #2
Week two of observations brought about some interesting things. In addition to seeing more of the same organisms, I was able to observe one new organism in the M.A.(MicroAquarium).
This new organism happened to be the only one, and one of its kind (that I could tell) in the M.A.. While scanning the M.A. along the bottom, I noticed a worm like creature that would periodically stick its head out of the sediment that had collected at the bottom. This organism turned out to be a Midge (Pond II, poster). The Midge i observed turns out to be the larvae of a non-biting fly known as a midge fly (BIOLOGY AND CONTROL OF NON-BITING AQUATIC MIDGES, http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/midges.htm). Its long body was hidden mostly by the sediment at the bottom of the M.A., but every few seconds the Midge would protrude from the sediment to feed on some of the particles composing the sediment. It's head had two antennae and a mouth that appeared to be about the width of the head. The size of the Midge was much lager than any other micro-organism, nearly twice the size of any observed Cyclops.
Not too far from the Midge I observed in the sediment located along the bottom of the M.A., were two Cyclops. These were the only Cyclops that I could locate in the M.A., and they seemed to be following each other. The two Cyclops appeared to be either male (lack of egg sacks) or juvenile (lack of egg sacks/they had not developed yet).
In between observations of the M.A., a food pellet was added. All around this food pellet was a type of rotifer known as a Euchlanis (http://msnucleus.org/watersheds/mission/holoplankton.html). There were too many of these Rotifer's to count as they could be found moving about the whole entire M.A.. These Rotifer's have the appearance of a horseshoe crab, and use two appendages located at the rear of its body to move around (http://msnucleus.org/watersheds/mission/holoplankton.html). In addition to these Rotifers, I observed another type in the plant material that I had seen the previous week known as a Rotifer Philodina.(http://msnucleus.org/watersheds/mission/holoplankton.html). Only locating two of these Rotifer's in the M.A., the swirling motion created by it's wheel like organ caught my eye.
I was able to observe four more Lacrymaria this week. This time, two of them were stationary amongst the plant material, while the other two were moving about freely in the water on either side of the plant material. The two that I saw in the plant material were moving their neck and mouth around at a much higher rate of speed than the two that were moving around in the water.
This new organism happened to be the only one, and one of its kind (that I could tell) in the M.A.. While scanning the M.A. along the bottom, I noticed a worm like creature that would periodically stick its head out of the sediment that had collected at the bottom. This organism turned out to be a Midge (Pond II, poster). The Midge i observed turns out to be the larvae of a non-biting fly known as a midge fly (BIOLOGY AND CONTROL OF NON-BITING AQUATIC MIDGES, http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/midges.htm). Its long body was hidden mostly by the sediment at the bottom of the M.A., but every few seconds the Midge would protrude from the sediment to feed on some of the particles composing the sediment. It's head had two antennae and a mouth that appeared to be about the width of the head. The size of the Midge was much lager than any other micro-organism, nearly twice the size of any observed Cyclops.
Not too far from the Midge I observed in the sediment located along the bottom of the M.A., were two Cyclops. These were the only Cyclops that I could locate in the M.A., and they seemed to be following each other. The two Cyclops appeared to be either male (lack of egg sacks) or juvenile (lack of egg sacks/they had not developed yet).
In between observations of the M.A., a food pellet was added. All around this food pellet was a type of rotifer known as a Euchlanis (http://msnucleus.org/watersheds/mission/holoplankton.html). There were too many of these Rotifer's to count as they could be found moving about the whole entire M.A.. These Rotifer's have the appearance of a horseshoe crab, and use two appendages located at the rear of its body to move around (http://msnucleus.org/watersheds/mission/holoplankton.html). In addition to these Rotifers, I observed another type in the plant material that I had seen the previous week known as a Rotifer Philodina.(http://msnucleus.org/watersheds/mission/holoplankton.html). Only locating two of these Rotifer's in the M.A., the swirling motion created by it's wheel like organ caught my eye.
I was able to observe four more Lacrymaria this week. This time, two of them were stationary amongst the plant material, while the other two were moving about freely in the water on either side of the plant material. The two that I saw in the plant material were moving their neck and mouth around at a much higher rate of speed than the two that were moving around in the water.
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