Week 2: Thursday October 20

Last Thursday I began a deeper exploration of different creatures in my microaquarium. By using a yellow pamphlet that labeled some commonly found specimens and A Guide to Microlife by Kenneth Rainis and Bruce Russell, I was able to get a rough idea of what exactly I was looking at. The majority of the specimens that I found were either around plants A and B, or near the surface or bottom of the aquarium. I noticed there were clear branching forms coming off of both plant A and B, possibly a type of algae. Near the surface of the aquarium at the end of plant B I was able to find a relatively large multicellular microorganism with hundreds of tiny moving cells inside of it. On plant B, near the middle of the aquarium though, I found a lone peritrich ciliate, or Vorticella, roughly 30 micrometers in length. By consulting A Guide to Microlife I found that its class is Peritrichia and it's genus is Epistylis. Near the bottom, dirt covered part of the aquarium I found a paramecium roughly 15 micrometers wide and 30 micrometers long. There was also something near the bottom of the aquarium that appeared to be a Heliozoan. It had straight hair like structures coming off of it, making it appear like it was radiating like the sun or something. Next week I plan to get pictures of some of these specimens and explain them more and detail.

Bibliography

Rainis, Kenneth G., and Bruce J. Russell. A Guide to Microlife. New York: Franklin Watts, 1996. Print.