Week 2

Week two of my observation began with taking a picture of my MicroAquarium. The moss in the aquarium was relatively the same. There was a few dead looking strands off the main stalk and some black at the base of some of the leaves. Throughout the aquarium the water is clear with some algae growing. I looked at it once again with a microscope and witnessed a significant loss of Rotifers (there were still many just less than the first observation). Due to the loss of Rotifers they were not fighting or running into each other and they were not concentrated in any one area. This week I fed my Rotifers with fish food, this hopefully aid in their survival.

I was lucky to be able to snap a few pictures of my Rotifers, that turned out great might I add. While taking the pictures I discovered that I had Rotifers that were in the order, Bdelleida, the family of Philodinidea, and genus of Philodina according to a 1926 thesis on Spiral Swimming in the Rotifers by Frazier Cochane, Jr. I am not sure which species I have in my MicroAquarium. While snapping the numerous pictures I witnessed them contracting and “inchworming” there way around the aquarium. I saw one rotifer that almost seemed to be “grazing” (much like a cow does to eat) on some debris on the bottom of the aquarium. I am not sure if he was eating the debris or not but he was bobbing back and forth from it a lot. I also saw a rotifers gastric glands which at the time was contracting. I wonder if the rotifers could be different ages, because some of them were different sizes. In one of the photographs I was lucky enough to be able to witness both “heads” that contain the cilia. One of the Rotifers in which I got to photograph was rather odd looking. He or she had something protruding out of the side near its’ head. You can witness this in one of the photographs. I am not sure what this may be and plan to do further research on it.

During the second week, I furthered my research on the Rotifers and I discovered that generally they have a simple excretory system, circulatory system, and respiratory systems are lacking. The sexes of rotifers are separate, with the male being a minute, degenerate creature, lacking the alimentary canal. Rotifers can alternate reproduction between sexual or asexual means, depending on class and the environment. In the absence of males , reproduction is done by parthenogenesis. Parthenogenesis results in a clone of the parent, the offspring is genetically identical to the parent.


~Resources~

Cochrane, Frazier. Spiral Swimming in the Rotifers. Diss. University of TN, 1926.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotifer

photo

Week 1

In my botany class I began a project called MicroAquarium. On 18 October, 2007 I placed some water from a unknown source and a unknown moss into the MicroAquarium. I labeled it so that I could distinguish it from other classmates MicroAquariums. The water source was collected equally from the bottom , middle, and top of the container. While I collected the water sample from each layer I moved around the container to capture water from different areas. My label was concluded of top dot dark blue, middle dot light blue, and bottom dot red.

The instructor later informed us, through a internet blog, that the water, in which I selected was from a plastic bird bath pool located 0.9 mile from Fountain City Pond on Fountain Rd. (Knox County, Knoxville, TN USA) with GPS coordinates of N 35o02.249’ W083o55.999’ 1121 ft. The sample was located with partial shade exposure and was collected on October 3rd, 2007.

In the same form the instructor informed us that the moss in which I had chosen to include in my MircoAquarium was Amblystegium carium (Hedw.) Lindb. It was collected from a natural spring in Fountain City Park west of Broadway at Hotel Ave. (Knox County, Knoxville, TN USA) with GPS coordinates at N 36o02’ 15.18” W083o55’ 59.95” at 988 ft. on the 15th of October 2007. The moss was exposed to partial shade.

On the same day I added the ingredients to the MicroAquarium I observed it through a microscope. Through the microscope I could see some of the debris. The debris is unknown at this time and will be further researched at a later date. In my MicroAquarium I observed numerous microscopic organisms which my instructor called Rotifers.

I researched the Rotifers further and discovered that they make up a phylum of microscopic and near microscopic pseudocoelomate animals. These animals were first discovered by John Harris in 1696. Most rotifers are around 0.1-0.5 mm long, and are common in freshwater throughout the world with a few saltwater species. Some are free swimming and truly platonic while others move by “inchworming”. The species that is inside my MicroAquarium seems thus far to be free swimming and truly planktonic.

The Rotifers I observed were slightly clear orange in color. They wiggled around the container and at times would roll into a ball as if scared (like a wooly bear). Some of the Rotifers were getting caught in the debris, but would usually wiggle out of it. They swam around the entirety of the container, however they concentrated themselves into the bottom. At times they would bump into one another and then jump away as if playing or fighting.

I am looking forward in the coming weeks to continue watching the changes that will occur in my MicroAquarium. I will keep this blog up to date, as to the changes in which I witness and will further my research on what I have witnessed, thus far.

~ The information I stated about the rotifers was concluded from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotifer.