MicroAquarium: Week Five

As usual, there seems to be little activity in the other two plants while the Uticularia gibba houses much activity. The mesh-like root system from the gibba I observed growing up the right side of the tank in week three of observations is growing thicker and spreading. I was surprised to see a great amount of activity in this system, observing the two species of Aeolosoma tangled all around the structure.

While searching the tank for other organisms, I large tadpole-like organism swam swiftly across my view. It was hard to find again due to its sporadic and quick nature and I was actually able to follow the organism by the naked eye, looking out of the sights of the microscope and using my naked eye to track the creature. I later found that this creature was a Copepod belonging to the genus Cyclops.

Cyclops species a. (Rainis and Russel, pg. 210).

There was also another interesting organism that I observed in the root-like system that meshed along the right side of the tank and also observed towards the bottom of the tank in groupings. This organism was flat and clear and did not make very sporadic movements. I later found that this organism belonged to the genus Euplotes with a specific species unable to be named.

Euplotes species a. (Patterson, pg. 213).
















Euplotes species a. (Patterson, pg. 213).

As you can see in the above image taken at a side view of the organism, the organism is flat and moves along by small appendages underneath itself.

The MicroAquarium: Week Four

As usual, the Utricularia gibba seems to be growing ever denser and spreading. The worm-like creatures viewed upon the last obersvation I was able to identify as the genus Aeolosoma but the species was unable to be identified do to the lack of vision of the initial organism. Also, this image that I captured is demonstrating this organism's asexual reproduction by pinching off towards the middle of the organism to form another.

1. Aeolosoma species a. (Pennak, pg. 324).

In further inspection towards the bottom of the tank, I noticed the dead exoskeleton of the dead seed shrimp I had observed two weeks prior. Around the skeleton, I also noticed another worm-like creature that looked very similar to the creature observed around the gibba. Dissimilarly, this organism had more of a rounded head. I found that this organism also belonged to the genus Aeolosoma but the species was also unable to be identified for lack of visible detail.

2. Aeolosoma species b. (Pennak, pg. 324).

Many single celled organisms were also observed throughout the many weeks of observations, but I was able to identify one larger one that moved sporadically, pulled along by a flagella that moved in a spiraling motion. This organism belonging to the genus Anisonema also had another flagella which did not seem to move and was idly dragged along.

3. Anisonema. (Patterson, pg. 183). 

Bibliography

Bibliography

McFarland, Kenneth [Internet] Botany 111 Fall 2013. [cited 2013 October 20]. Available from http://botany1112013.blogspot.com/

Patterson, D.J. 2003. Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa. Washington: ASM Press.

Pennak, Robert. 1953. Fresh-Water Invertebrates. New York: The Roland Press Company.

Rainis, Kenneth G., and Bruce J. Russell. 1996. Guide to Microlife. Danbury: Grolier Publishing.

The MicroAquarium: Week Three

Even more so, I have noticed an overall growth in the Utricularia gibba as the week has progressed. There seems to be a kind of webbing of a root system from the gibba traveling up the right side of the aquarium. There is also a growth of activity inside and around the gibba. There some particularly interesting worm-like creatures that I have not been able to certify the species or genus yet. I also noticed a growth of single celled organisms ranging in many different sizes and shapes. Some even have visible flagella which spur them along in very sporadic movements and paths. Also, I have not seen the seed shrimp that I observed last observation. I hypothesize that he has either died or is hidden beneath the sediment where I found it crawling along.

The MicroAquarium: Week Two

The Utricularia gibba seems to be thriving with what appears to be root systems beginning to form. The worm-like organisms that were observed upon the creation of the aquarium do not seem present anymore. There also seems to be a lot of activity surrounding this plant and towards to bottom of the aquarium. This activity seems to be comprised of tight groupings of single cell organisms forming in linear clusters around the stems of the plant.

There was also one large crustacean-like organism roaming at the bottom of the aquarium in the dirt which I later discovered was an Ostracod Seed Shrimp. This organism was spotted roaming across the top of the sediment at the bottom of the aquarium. I also noticed that it seemed to be collecting food by filtering the water, sucking in the water in a stream.

1. Ostracod Seed Shrimp. (Rainis and Russel, pg. 210).


One beta pellet was also added to the aquarium on Friday, October 25th, 2013. "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%" (McFarland, 2013).

Post 1: The Beginning of a MicroAquarium

"What is a MicroAquarium, anyways?" 

Don't worry, I was asking myself the exact same question when I heard in my Botany lab that we would be creating these little environments. MicroAquariums are exactly that they sound like they are; aquariums, only about one-hundred times smaller. These little containers allow you to observe a kind of microenvironment assembled from an array of pieces and organisms from the larger environments of the world. 

Of course, assembling these little creations is a process in itself. You must first acquire a MicroAquarium. This consists of a small tank, stand, and lid. The class then labeled their tank in order for identification by class, table, and individual person at the table. Each person then extracted water from the desired locations provided. I took the water for my aquarium from Meads Quarry along Island Home Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee.

1. Meads Quarry, Island Home Ave, Knox Co. Tennessee Partial shade exposure Rock Quarry N35 57.162 W83 51.960 880 10/13/2013 (McFarland, 2013)

The water was collected and used to fill my aquarium one-third of the way with the water from the bottom of the container, collecting some of the sediment also. Water was then collected from the middle level of the container and the aquarium was filled another third of the way. Water was then collected from surface of the container and the aquarium was filled the rest of the way. 

I then filled the container with some of the provided plants: Utricularia gibba, which is a flowering, carnivorous plant collected from Spain Lake in White County, Tennessee; Fontinalis, which is a moss collected from the Holston River along John Sevier Highway in Knoxville, Tennessee; and Amblestegium varium, which is also a moss collected from a natural spring at Carters Mill Park in Knox County, Tennessee. 

In observation of my newly created aquarium, I noticed that there seemed to be little movement and activity which can be expected to increase in the weeks to come. Some movement, though, seemed to take place mainly in the Utricularia gibba where I observed some transparent worm-like creatures moving around in a fluid motion, intertwining and wrapping around the stems of the plant.