2nd Observation

Observation on October 24, 2012

On the 24th, I picked up my MicroAquarium for the second time to discover new and tons more organisms swimming around in the water collected from the French Broad River, Seven Wildlife Refuge (McFarland 2012).

The plants placed inside of the aquarium (Amblestegium sp.- moss and Utricularia gibba L. a flowering and carnivous plant) had looked as if they had red crystallized circles and tendons that linked leaf to leaf underneath a compound microscope ( McFarland 2012). The water level had diminished some as well, leaving the tops of the Amblestegium sp. and the Utricularia gibba poking out of the water (McFarland 2012). Dead organisms were stationary in either the water or near the mud at the bottom of the MicroAquarium. Globs of dirt and other organic material floated around in the MicroAquarium with unicellular protists and cyanobacteria both speeding and crawling by along the lens of the microscope. 

I actually saw some of the same rotifers that I saw in the first observation. However, I saw tons more protist and cyanobacteria than last time (and I have pictures this time). :>

Figure 1: I located several green cyanobacteria called Oscillatoria sp. (Carter-Lund and Lund 1995). This solo cyanobacteria did not move much and pretty much stayed near the bottom of the tank.

Figure 2: Another cyanobacteria, a blue-green Mersimopedia sp., was found slowly creeping along in the MicroAquarium towards the bottom of the tank ( Patterson 1996). 

Figure 3: The Difflugia sp. above is a protist that uses the dirt and other material in the MicroAquarium as a type shell (the dark covering) and extends its body out to collect more (Patterson 1996).  The Difflugia moved slowly, however, its extensions moved rather fast to collect material. It was found in the middle, bottom of the tank. 

With Protozoan, I found that this site: http://www.savalli.us/BIO385/Diversity/01.Protozoa.html

helped with both the pictorial detail and information. 

Figure 4: Another protist, a Peranema sp., was trekking quite quickly through mud as if it were swimming furiously in the water in the MicroAquarium with two flagellum to help it ( Patterson 1996). 

Friday October 26, 2012: 

My MicroAquarium received one Beta Fish Food Pellet. It is a part of the "Atison's Betta Food" produced by Ocean Nutrition , Aqua Pet Americas, located at 3528 West 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104( McFarland 2012). Some of the ingredients include: fish meal, wheat flower, soy meal, krill meal, minerals, vitamins, and preservatives (McFarland 2012). Beta Food Pellets are made of 36 percent crude protein, 4.5 percent crude fat, 3.5 percent crude fiber, 8 percent moisture, and 15 percent ash (McFarland 2012). 

                                     

                                          

Bubbling Bibliography!

Carter-Lund H, Lund JWG. 1995. Freshwater algae: their microscopic world explored. Bristol (England): Biopress Ltd. 360 p.

Council of Biology Editors. 1994. Scientific style and format: the cbe manual for authors, editors, and publishers. 6th ed. Cambridge (UK): Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge.

Forest H.S. 1954. Handbook of algae. Knoxville (TN): The University of Tennessee Press.

McFarland K. [Internet]. Botany 111 fall 2012; c2012 [ cited 2012 October 20]. Available from: http://http://botany1112012.blogspot.com

Patterson DJ. 1996. Free-living freshwater protozoa: a color guide. London (UK): Manson Publishing Ltd. 223 p.

Pennak RW. 1989. Fresh-Water invertebrates of the united states: protozoa to mollusca. 3rd ed. (U.S.): Wiley-Interscience Publication. 628 p.

Prescott G.W. 1964. The fresh-water algae. Dubuque (IA): WM. C. Brown Company Publishers.

Rainis KG, Russell BJ. 1996. Guide to microlife. Danbury (CT): Franklin Watts (Division of Grolier Publishing). 288 p.

Hello Skittle Safari Supporters!
October 16, 2012-My Micro-Safari begins!

I made my very own MicroAquarium! If you don't know what a MicroAquarium is, that is perfectly fine! A MicroAquarium is a 2x3 glass container that is 2mm thick to hold water and other microscopic materials that need to be freely observed up-close (www.buildingthepride.com/faculty/microaquarium/index.htm).-My Source :>

The water, mud, and some tiny bits of algae called Cladophora sp., belonging to the French Broad River, Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge in our very own Knox County, is transferred to my lonely MicroAquarium using a pipet (McFarland blog 2012).  I added to my MicroAquarium, a small sample of Amblestegium sp. moss from a natural spring at Carters Mill Park in Knox County and another sample of Utricularia gibba (a flowering and carnivorous plant) originally from Spain Lake in White County but grown here in Knoxville under the care of the University (McFarland 2012).  

With the help of my professor, Ken McFarland, we managed to locate a translucent-looking, inching Rotifer(protist) that moved like a worm attached to the plants in the MicroAquarium with a compound microscope. It had what looked like a spinning, spiked head. Cool. I also managed to see a rapidly moving organism that was darker in color and was moving in a circular fashion on the edges of the mud on the bottom of the MicroAquarium. The plants themselves under the microscope were a bright green and pristine in their fixed, 2mm aquatic environment.

Check out: http://botany1112012.blogspot.com to see the project and even more cool micro-stuff!

Well, that's my first Micro-Safari!
See ya!