Final Observation

On Friday November 11th, 2011 I completed the final viewing of my micro-aquarium.

The numbers of every species but one had dwindled; what I believe to belong to the genus Chaetogaster, however the sources on this particular genus were scant.

These were segmented, spotted worms with hairs. They were quite larger than any other organism i had observed in this experiment. The entire population seemed to have flocked to one strip of water against the side of the glass that was separated from the rest by a large air bubble and the Amblestegium sp. Moss. They had formed a sort of tunnel and were bundled inside of it. In general, they were quite difficult to photograph.

Here is one at 40x.

Here is the head of one poking out of some soil.

(Sources: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV-Ao3pslfU&feature=related &
http://www.microscopyu.com/moviegallery/pondscum/chaetogaster/)

The Third Viewing

On Friday October 28th, 2011 I made my third visit to my micro-aquarium.

There were many changes to be observed. On Friday October 21, 2011 one Beta Food Pellet was inserted into each micro-aquarium. (An "Atison's Betta Food" 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%.)

The presence of this food source in the environment definitely had an effect on the population and dominant varieties of micro-organisms. I was able to look at my micro-aquarium under a higher powered lens and take photos to help better identify the organisms present.

The most numerous organisms present were copepods, nematodes, vorticella and desmids. Here is a photo I took of a copepod, Macrocyclops albidus, with an unidentified nematode. (Source: http://cfb.unh.edu/cfbkey/html/Organisms/CCopepoda/OCyclopoida/GMacrocyclops/Macrocyclops_albidus/macrocyclopsalbidus.html)

In the soil there was a large population of the green algae, Closterium. (Source: http://silicasecchidisk.conncoll.edu/LucidKeys/Carolina_Key/html/Closterium_Main.html)

I was able to identify what I believe to be some Vorticella campanula in and around my aquatic plants. (Source: http://www.serc.si.edu/labs/phytoplankton/guide/Microzoop.aspx)

This week's observation proved to be more interesting than the previous to me personally because I was able to get to know the organisms better. It seems like every week it is a completely different environment with new species. I don't know what to expect with each visit but it is always quite interesting.

-Ivy

The Second Viewing

On Thursday, October 20th, 2011 I checked back on my micro-aquarium.

I was able to find some information on the organisms I had already seen in my experiment, as well as make some observations of new ones.

I was able to locate information on the aquatic plants present from Dr. Kenneth McFarland.

The first, Amblestegium sp. Moss, seems to be a food source for the micro-organisms. It was collected at a Natural spring at Carters Mill Park on 10/9/2011. This is located at Carter Mill Road, Knox Co. TN. The spring source has Partial shade exposure.

The second plant is known as Utricularia gibba L. It is a flowering carnivous plant from the south shore of Spain Lake, located on Camp Bella Air Rd. East of Sparta Tn. in White Co. and grown in water tanks outside of greenhouse at Hesler Biology Building at The University of Tennessee. Knox Co. Knoxville TN. This plant traps micro-organisms in small, passive bladders.

The most numerous organism I observed had dwindled in population, but each individual organism had grown in size. I observed one eating soil. I was not able to identify this species yet.

Now, the most abundant organism appears to be an arthropod, either an ostracod or water flea. These are translucent organisms that vibrate through the soil at quite a fast pace.

I also observed populations of other micro-organisms. There were fast moving copepods and water mites near the middle layer. Towards the bottom, I observed what I believe to be some sort of nematode. These were green worm like creature that stayed near the soil. However, they were very slow moving so I am unsure if they were bacteria or algae.

One interesting observation I made was in the aquatic moss Amblestegium sp. There were tiny black dots orbiting the leaves fairly quickly, however I was not able to use a high-powered microscope to get a better look or take pictures.

Overall, the biodiversity of this secluded ecosystem seems to be flourishing. I can't wait until I can look more closely.

-Ivy

1: The Set-Up & First Viewing

During my Botany 111 lab on Wednesday October 12th, 2011, I set up an experiment to observe aquatic micro-organisms.

This "micro-aquarium" consisted of two slides holding together a small amount of water and sediment from a local source, the Tommy Schumpert Pond at Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge in Knoxville, Tennessee. On each side of the water, I placed a differing aquatic plant of two varieties (of which I will have to get the specifics on when I next visit).

Upon completion, I viewed the experiment with a 40x microscopic lens. There was quite a bit of activity from various organisms in and near the layer of sediment I observed large numbers of 3 distinct life forms.

The first thing I noticed were long, snake-like organisms that moved rapidly through the water and through the dirt by whipping their tails back and forth. These were sometimes dark brown, and sometimes white. I'm not certain, but I speculate that the presence of the dark coloration in some was due to the translucence of the organism and the ability to see the food they've eaten.

The most numerous organism I observed were oval shaped white blobs that appeared to move slightly slower than the aforementioned. They were concentrated at the bottom, however there were some throughout the micro-aquarium.

Around these organisms were even smaller ones that I didn't notice moving at first. The microscope wasn't capable of detecting any distinguishing features, in fact they just looked like tiny dots. But I will surely get a closer look next time, along with some pictures.

-Ivy