Monday, October 24th Observation

On Monday, October 24th I observed my micro-aquarium for a second time. The first thing i noticed upon entering the lab was that some of the water in the aquarium had evaporated. Dr. McFarland said that we would always have to add more water after observing the aquariums. I also noticed that there was something circular suspended in the water. Dr. McFarland also informed me that it was a data food pellet that had been added to our aquariums over the past weekend. 


Information on the Food Pellet 
 -"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%.


Findings under the microscope:


-There were many more organisms in my micro-aquarium then last week. 
-With Dr. McFarland's help, I identified a flat worm, flagellates, more rotifers, a huge group of diatoms, a seed shrimp, cellias, and a cyclops! 
-I was able to get a picture of all of them as well.

To the left: An example of a Nematode in my microaquarium.

 To the left: My seed Shrimp

 To the left: The one cyclops i was able to snap a picture of.

Definitions:


-Flagellate: Flagellates are single-celled protists with one or more flagella, whip-like organelles often used for propulsion. The flagella is used for movement through the liquid. Some flagellates live as colonial entities, while others function as a single cell.  Most are free-living organisms, however, a number are parasitic or pathogenic for animals and humans.  They multiply by binary fission and some species posses cyst stages.


-Rotifer: Rotifers are multicellular animals with body cavities that are partially lined by mesoderm. These organisms have specialized organ systems and a complete digestive tract that includes both a mouth and anus. Since these characteristics are all uniquely animal characteristics, rotifers are recognized as animals, even though they are microscopic. 




-Diatom: Diatoms are a major group of algae and are one of the most common types of phytoplankton. Most diatoms are unicellular although they can exist as colonies in the shape of filaments or ribbons, fans, zigzags, or stellate colonies. Diatoms are producers within the food chain. A characteristic feature of diatom cells is that they are encased within a unique cell wall made of silica (hydrated silicon dioxide) called a frustule. These frustules show a wide diversity in form, but usually consist of two asymmetrical sides with a split between them, hence the group name.


-Cyclops: Cyclops is a genus of small freshwater crustaceans (copepods) characterized by a single eye spot on the head segment. Cyclops sp. also feature antennae, a segmented body, 5 pairs of legs, and a divided "tail" called a furca. Although Cyclops look similar to Diaptomus copepods, the distinguishing characteristic is that Cyclops females carry two egg sacs.