Week 5 Observation

This is my final week of observations for my MicroAquarium.  The first thing I noticed was the lack of activity from the organisms in my MicroAquarium.  It seemed like there were fewers Rotifers present, and the ones that I did observe, seemed to be slowed down from their usual tempo.  I observed several Paramecium bursaria, which did not seem to be different in their activities from the weeks before.  A hypothesis I would have for the change in organism diversity and activity would be as time has continued to pass, the conditions and food availability are no longer suitable for certain organisms to live.  I would also expect to see further declining diversity as time continued to pass.  To stabilize and possible restore organism diversity, food, new vegitation, and possibly new water would need to be added.  It appears that the conditions in my MicroAquarium have become almost too poor for life to thrive.

Week 4 Observations

For the fourth week of the project I have continued to make observations on my MicroAquarium.  I saw the usual abundance of Rotifers swimming and eating.  I was unable to find any remains of the food pellet added last week, so I guess the organisms have been busy.  This week, I was finally able to get pictures of a Paramecium bresaira and a Stenostomum.  I observed both of these before, but was unable to get a good picture of either.  The Stenostomum moved rapidly around the MicroAquarium, and at one point even ate two Colops.  The Stenostomum has eye sockets at the front of its body that contain light sensors to help it find its way around.  It was unusual to watch because it would move around, often running into things, and even occasionally attacking what it ran into.  Another observed organism this week was the Actuspherium, however, I was unable to get a clear picture of it.  For the first time, I observed clusters of Bodo.  These organism are extremely small and have a flagella at each end.  Next week I hope to see growth in some of these organisms, with maybe some new ones showing up.

Sources:
Patterson, D.J. Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa. Wolfe Publishing Ltd. 1996. Fig 349-358.
Ward, Henry Baldwin, Whipple, George Chandler. Fresh-Water Biology. John Wiley and Sons Inc. 1918.   Fig 594

Week 3 Observations

At the end of the third week of my MicroAquarium, I made new observations.  The organisms have thrived in both numbers and size.  Like last week, Rotifers are the dominant organisms that I observed, followed by bacteria.  This week, I observed the coolest organism yet, a Philodina rotifer.  The Philodina has a circular attatchment on the front of its body that looks like a saw blade spinning and chopping when it eats (picture 2).  Also this week, a food pellet was added to the MicroAquarium.  Information on the pellet:  "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%.  I observed organisms swarming around the pellet feeding.  It was interesting to see how these organisms interact together.  I did not observe anything that looked like fighting over food or dominance.  I wasn't sure how well the organisms would get with the introduction of food (picture 1).  I will continue my observations next week and report back.

Week 2 Observation

My MicroAquarium has been assembled for 9 days now.  I had a chance to observe my aquarium under a microscope to see what was going on.  I was very surprised to find how many organisms were alive and thriving.  I saw organisms of various size and shape.  I saw organisms swimming, eating, and hiding in the foliage.  Some examples of organisms I observed were Euchlanis (Rotifer), Philodina (Rotifer), and different Cyanobacteria.  It was interesting to see these organisms living together and moving around each other.  I did not notice any of the organisms competing or fighting for food, but maybe if there is a food shortage that might be a possibility.  I will check back on my MicroAquarium next week and see how the organisms are surviving and if any of them are actually growing.

Setting Up My MicroAquarium

For the project we each set-up a MicroAquarium.  We had 13 different water samples to choose from.  Once we chose, we extracted water and sediment from our sample and added it to our MicroAquarium.  For my sample I am going to be observing sample 3: Carter Mill Park at spring source (information following).  Once we added the water to our sample, we added a small amount of Fontinalis (Moss) and Utricularia gibba (flowering plant).  These plants will provide oxygen, nutrients, and shelter for the organisms to grow inside the MicroAquarium.  We will observe the MicroAquariums we have put together over the next four weeks and see what organisms grow. 

3. Carter Mill Park at spring source, Carter Mill Road, Knox Co. Tennessee Partial shade exposure N36 01.168 W83 42.832 940 ft 10/10/2010