Fourth and Final Observation 11/11

With this being the last observation I decided to disturb the environment a bit. After looking with the dissecting microscope which provides a more 3D experience, I shook the Micro aquarium and used a fine point needle to move the soil around. Once I placed the aquarium back under the dissecting microscope a very large midge larva was exposed. Moving widely and very violent this little guy was a pain to keep track of. Under the protection of the soil this organism was seemingly a slow moving creature, but once exposed to the open space and light became wild and chaotic. Very hard to capture a good picture of but I did mange to snap this one.

 

 Thorp, James H., and Alan P. Covich. Ecology and classification of North American freshwater invertebrates. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1991. Print.

 Eventually the midge larva will evolve into a mosquito like insect. pictured below the speckled midge Tanypus Carneus.

Thorp, James H., and Alan P. Covich. Ecology and classification of North American freshwater invertebrates. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1991. Print.

Third Observation 11/4

Oddly fewer numbers of organisms seemed to exist this week. The Cyclops, Seed Shrimp, Algae and Rotifer still remain and plenty active. Below you can see a few pictures of these organisms.

  

Edmondson, W. T., and Henry Baldwin Ward. Fresh-water biology. 2d ed. New York: Wiley, 1959.Print.

 

Forest, Herman Silva. Handbook of algae,. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1954. Print.

  

Smith, Douglas G.. Pennak's freshwater invertebrates of the United States: Porifera to Crustacea. 4th ed. New York: J. Wiley, 2001. Print.

The following video is a large Vorticellum mass. This mass of organisms is very sensitive. The explosive point in the video is when Dr. McFarland slightly tapped the microscope.

 

 

 

Second Observation 10/28

Right off the bat I noticed that I could with my naked eye see things moving in my micro aquarium. Turns out a very large seed shrimp, very mobile and noticeably did not enjoy the light of the microscope. On Friday October 21 a single beta food pellet was inserted into each micro aquarium by Dr. McFarland. The food pellet was a "Atison's Betta Food" made by Ocean Nutrition, Aqua Pet Americas. Located at 3528 West 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104. The Ingredients in the food pellet are fish meal, wheat flower, soy meal, krill meal, minerals, vitamins and preservatives. Some analysis: Crude Protein 36%; Crude fat 4.5%; Crude Fiber 3.5%; Moisture 8% and Ash 15%. This explains the increased size in many of the organisms like my Seed Shrimp. A noticeable amount of soil is gone from the aquarium, possibly consumed. With the help of Dr. McFarland a Cyclops was Identified. A very small cricket like creature. Very fast and hard to track with the microscope. They jump from place to place and their kill is quick and fast. The two fern additions to the aquarium have started to develop large sac like structures on them with very small organisms moving about on the inside. Pictures next post!      

First Observation 10/21

Lots of activity in the my Fountain City Duck Pond sample number 11. Very large organisms eating and moving, some slow some very fast. As Identified thus far I have seen many what I assume are dead seed shrimp. Large worms, midge larva both very active. Many Rotifers and tons of Cyanobacteria surrounded by many little moving things yet to be identified they are moving rather fast hard to track. With the help of Dr. McFarland a Stylaria Annelida and Epistylis Cilia were both identified. The environment is a hostile one for sure. Definitely a survival of the fittest scenario. Video and pictures to come in the following weeks.   

Week 1 Intial set up.

First, as a class we read thought the term project guidelines in the lab manual. Dr. McFarland came in and briefly discussed the home page

( http://www.botany1112011.blogspot.com/ ), gave a description of each of the thirteen water samples we had to choose from, lead the class in assemblage of the micro aquarium, Instructed the class on proper water sample extraction methods as well as insertion techniques. I chose sample 11 The Fountain City Duck Pond. West of Broadway at Cedar Lane. Knox Co. Knoxville TN Full sun exposure. Spring Feed Pond N36 02.087 W83 55.967 963 ft.  Extracting from the bottom of the sample to insure I got plenty of ground cover I then inserted the liquid into my aquarium. Second extraction was from the middle of the sample and then put in the micro aquarium. A third extraction from the top layer of the duck pond sample was squeezed into the aquarium. Using tweezers and a needle point I inserted two pieces of plant material. the 1st Amblestegium sp. Moss. Collection from: Natural spring. at Carters Mill Park, Carter Mill Road, Knox Co. TN. (partial shade). The second was Utricularia gibba L. Flowering plant. A carnivous plant. Original material from south shore of Spain Lake. After observing under the microscope for a few minutes I sealed my micro aquarium with putty and a lid and placed it in the lab tray next door.