Bibliography all weeks

Anisonema [Internet]. [EOL] Encyclopedia of Life; cN/A [cited 2013 Nov 11]. Available from:http://eol.org/pages/11715/details

Covich A.P. Thorp J.H. 2009. Ecology and Classification of North American Invertebrates. 3rd edition, Academic Press. 1021 pgs.

Lembadion bullinum [Internet]. [EOL] Encyclopedia of Life; cN/A [cited 2013 Nov 11]. Available from: http://eol.org/data_objects/21072078

Patterson D.J. 1996. Free- Living Freshwater Protozoa: A color guide. Mason Publishing Ltd. 233 pgs.

Pennak RW. 2001. Freshwater Invertabrates of the United States. 4th ed. Wiley Publishing Company. 648 p. 

Weber C. 1971. A guide to the common diatoms at water pollution surveillance system stations. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Environmental Research Center, Analytical Quality Control Laboratory. 98 pgs.

Pictures taken by: Abby Stanley

Microaquarium observation week 4

In my microaquarium this week I found many interesting things. Among my findings was an amphora ovalis, which is a common type of freshwater diatom and is also known as alga. These organisms have two arched margins that create a center valve and this is mostly how they are identified. Diatoms are mostly unicellular, and produce their own food because they are a type of algae, essentially. Another form of algae I noticed was the chlorella. Chlorella is a single-celled green algae that contains pigments chlorophyll a and b. An interesting fact about this organism is it is edible and desired as a food source because of its high protein content. A picture of the chlorella is shown above. I also found many cyanobacteria linked together almost like a chain of small green cells. Cyanobacteria are usually found in colonies and are some of the oldest known fossils in the world (3.5 billion years old). The last organism I identified was a epalxis. Upon research of the epalxis I could not find much information on it at all, so I am guessing it is rare. It is an odontosome ciliate that usually can be found in putrid and contaminated waters. This organism is a freshwater protist that almost resembles a microscopic jelly-fish. It has characteristic cilia protruding from various spots on its body that move somatically. A picture of the epalxis can be shown above as well.

Microaquarium observation week 4

Bibliography for week 3 information

Anisonema [Internet]. [EOL] Encyclopedia of Life; cN/A [cited 2013 Nov 11]. Available from:http://eol.org/pages/11715/details

Lembadion bullinum [Internet]. [EOL] Encyclopedia of Life; cN/A [cited 2013 Nov 11]. Available from: http://eol.org/data_objects/21072078

Pennak RW. 2001. Freshwater Invertabrates of the United States. 4th ed. Wiley Publishing Company. 648 p. 

MicroAquarium observation week 3

Things were relatively quiet in my micro-aquarium this week. Although I did identify a very large nematode that had a long worm-like body structure, which would make sense considering their alternate name is 'roundworms'. Nematodes are very diverse and there are many different types, a vast majority being parasitic. For the most part they feed on dead plant material, and have tubular digestive systems with opening at each end of their bodies. Nematodes have 2 sharp "stylets" that pierce their prey and direct the food into their esophagus. I am continuing to see many rotifers throughout my aquarium. Rotifers are also called wheel animals because they move with wheel like appendiges. They are extremely common in freshwater environments and can only be seen under the highest magnifications of microscopes. Another organism found this week was a Lembadion (lembadion bullinum), a planktonic ciliate. Lembadion are usually oval shaped with a small cilia on the end, and large membranelles on the left side of the mouth. They have a prominent vacuole that takes up most of the body, and they feed on diatoms, flagellates, other ciliates, and green algae. Also identified in my aquarium, was an Anisonema. Anisonema are generally known for their heterodynamic flagella that are unequal lengths. They have definite movement patterns of gliding and then jerking backwards. They are oval shaped organisms with no indegestion apparatus.

Bibliography: 

Patterson D.J. 1996. Free- Living Freshwater Protozoa: A color guide. Mason Publishing Ltd. 233 pgs.

Covich A.P. Thorp J.H. 2009. Ecology and Classification of North American Invertebrates. 3rd edition, Academic Press.

Picture: Taken by Abby Stanley

Microaquarium observation week 2

This week I used the high powered microscope to observe my aquarium, and found many larger organisms that way. The vorticella mentioned last week can be shown below.

  

I also identified an interesting almost star shaped ameoba which looked very different from any of the other organisms in the aquarium. Ameobas are protists with extensions protruding from the glob-like body called pseudopodia. These extensions detach from the bodies and float around and explore until they eventually return and reattach. The largest organism I have found so far was an insect larvae that resembled a giant worm that had smaller tentacles coming out of the end of its body. This organism is called palpomyia, a biting midge, that is poorly known because it is difficult to associate adults with their larvae that look nothing like them. Most larvae are carnivores and feed on smaller insects but have been known to bite people and become blood-sucking pests, these are called ceratopogonidae. 

Bibliography: 

Patterson D.J. 1996. Free- Living Freshwater Protozoa: A color guide. Mason Publishing Ltd. 233 pgs.

Covich A.P. Thorp J.H. 2009. Ecology and Classification of North American Invertebrates. 3rd edition, Academic Press.

MicroAquarium Observation week 1

Upon first observation of my microaquarium it looked exactly the same, but under microscope there was plenty action taking place! First of all, I noticed a ton of small dots I identified as cyanobacteria and various smaller protists in the open areas between the plants. These small bacteria were only visible under the strongest magnification, so singular-celled bacteria was a given. I also noticed an amoeba which appeared to be a larger bag of black dots. Amoeba come in many shapes and forms, but are mostly identified by their clear body and prominent brown nuclei. They are heterotrophs that make their own food through a process known as phagocytosis. The amoeba was not moving, so I did not even think it was an organism, but under further examination I saw it was just slightly moving. One of the most interesting objects I saw was a Rotifer. Rotifers are micro-animals with wheel like system that pushes them through the water while also sucking in particles for food. This organism was the largest that I have seen in my ecosystem so far. It was enclosed in a clear gelatinous tube with swivels on the sides to help it move around. The last organism I identified to be a Vorticella, a protist that was barely moving but had a long clear flagella sticking out from beneath the plants. Vorticella is a type of protozoa that resembles an inverted bell shape with a long stalk. They are commonly found in freshwater environments, such as ponds and lakes. Most of the organisms in my microaqurium are single-celled protists, some with flagella and cilates.




Bibliography:
Rainis, KG. Russell, BJ. 1996. A Guide to Microlife. 1st ed. Franklin Watts Publishing Company.

Part 1 MicroAquarium Setup

First of all, the most important element of MicroAquariums are definitely the water source. Among several area water sources to choose from I chose the one I spend a lot of time at, Meads Quarry next to Ijams Nature Center. This quarry is an old rock mining place and is known for being somewhat polluted so I thought that would make for many interesting organisms. So we received our aquariums, a tiny space in between to pieces of plastic, that had a slit at the top and a slide on lid to perserve the environment. I dropped several droppers full of the quarry water into my aquarium until it was about 3/4 of the way to the top. While extracting the water, it was important to try and get as much dirt as possible for a diverse habitat. After that, I added a small amount of each plant given to us. They were: Amblestegium varium (Hedwig) Lindberg from the natural spring near Carters Mill Pike, Fontinalis (Moss) collected from the Holston River, and Utricularia gibba (a flowering plant) from the water tanks outside of Hesler Biology building at the University of Tennessee.  These plants were added to create oxygen flow in the water for the organisms to properly thrive. The MicroAquariums were marked and examined after setup under microscopes. From only a small observation I could tell there were a lot of organisms and bacteria in my environment. I identified one creature as a small single-celled worm, and also saw many Cyanobacteria near the bottom of my aquarium hugging to the dirt globs. After little examination the systems were put in a container and will be re-examined for organism activity and growth weekly.