Day 6 - 23 October 2012

23 Oct 2012 - Today I spent many hours in the lab viewing my MicroAquarium™.  Focusing and capturing images of the organisms was very challenging.  I personally feel focusing is the biggest challenge, thank you Dr. McFarland for your patience!  Anyways, I managed to capture five images of these amazing looking creatures (see pictures below).  With Dr. McFarland's assistance, I was able to identify each of the organisms.
      The majority of the microorganisms I saw belong in the Phylum Rotifera.  The Rotifera phylum is the largest taxonomic category containing the most common aqua microorganisms (Pennak, 1989).  Rotifera can be stationary or non-motile (Picture 4) or motile (Picture 3), but all have synchronized beating coronal cilia, which "suck in" food (Pennak, 1989).
     I found a number of dead carcases in the water, possibly an indication of another type(s) of predator.  The MicroAquarium™ contained many fast moving organisms, impossible to focus on, and some yellow colored worms weaving through the sediment at the bottom.  I will focus on the the sediment during my next viewing sessions.  I would like to have some pictures of the worm-like organisms.

Picture 1.  Actinosphaerium sp. is clear with  multiple spikes or spines (Pennak 1989).

Picture 2.  Cyclops sp. has a twin tail, large round body and dual horn-like antenna (Pennak 1989).

Picture 3.  Lecane sp. (phylum Rotifer) eating (sucking in) a clear stranded organism (Pennak 1989).

Picture 4.  Philodina sp. (phylum Rotifer), disc-like cilia on anterior end (corona) (Pennak 1989).

Picture 5.  Tachysoma sp. large contractual vacuole regulates internal water pressure (Patterson 1996).

Bibliography

Pennak RW. 1989. Fresh-Water Invertebrates of the United States: Protozoa to Mollusca. 3^rd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 212 p.

Patterson DJ. 1996. Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa: A Colour Guide. Washington DC: ASM Press. 125 p.