Observation 5

Percy McReynolds

Mr. McFarland

11/16/14

Botany 111 003


My observations for this week were about what I expected. My food pellet that was placed in my aquarium was pretty much completely gone, but there was still a few small organisms feeding off of what was left of it. I knew that I wouldn't see as many rotifers this week just because of the decrease there was in them last week, but I struggled to find almost any rotifers. I asked Mr. McFarland to help me find some and we found one of the most strangest rotifer activity I saw in the five observations I did. When we were searching around for rotifer activity, we found a rotifer digesting algae. It was attaching itself so it could slowly digest the algae through its gut. In the picture below you can see the piece of algae attached inside of the rotifer. You could slowly see its body taking in the algae and breaking it down for digestion.

    I also found an increase in the size of the euplotes. The Euplotes were also much more active than I had seen them in my weekly observations. While examining the Euplotes, I stumbled across an organism with Mr. McFarland that I had never seen in my aquarium. as we examined it, we noticed it was manipulating food particles front end where its mouth area, also called the bucoal canal was located and would then spit out the food. We also found an oval shaped red dot located in the middle of its body. We searched for the organism in the book but could not put a specific name for it. We decided to put it a common like name to the organism as Unknown Silliate (Patterson 143 fig 317). Below is the organism.

 Another organism I found while looking at my aquarium was a Litonotus sp. I had trouble trying to get a clear vision on the organism and what its activity was because of its clear like body structures. When I did find a clear view on the organism, I found that it was using its vacuole to regulate water pressure by a constant contracting method it was using while moving along the aquarium. As I researched the organism more, I found that many of these organisms have two macronuclei in the center of their bodies along with a contractile vacuole that can be seen in the posterior of this region. The organisms are also described as having contractile bodies. The long neck like area on top of its body is the ingestion area for food consumption and digestion (Patterson 132 fig 286).

I also found the organism Centropyxis. When researched, I found that it is a testate amoeba. Its usually has a brownish tint to it which is because of the accumulation of metal ions from its environment. Its body is made up of a flat ventral surface with an anterior end.  It's body is described as being shell like with a single aperture (Patterson 95 Fig 84). Below is a photo I took while observing its body structure and brown tint. I found it floating in the middle area of my aquarium near one the plants.

 

 

Sources

Patterson, D.J. 1992. Free living Freshwater Protozoa: A colour Guide. Washington D.C.: Wolfe Publishing LTD. 132, 143, 95 p

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blog #4

Percy McReynolds

Mr. McFarland

Botany 111 003

11/10/14



I went and saw my micro aquarium this week and saw multiple changes in different areas of my aquarium. Last week, A food pellet was placed into my aquarium. This caused a great increase in activity all around my micro aquarium. This week was different than the week before. Many of my organisms that I saw since week one had changed in multiple ways and their overall patterns of activity also changed. I was also able to see and identify some organisms that had not seen before.

Two of the biggest changes I saw in my aquarium this week involved the Rotifers and the Chroocus spp. I saw much less activity in the rotifers than the week before when they were feeding and breaking down the food pellet. This week they were more than double their original size. Their movement was also much less than usual. I saw multiple Rotifers that were near the bottom of the sediment and almost had no movement. The sear size of the rotifers was overwhelming! I almost thought they were a new kind of organism in my aquarium! Their size also had a direct correlation with the size of the food pellet. The pellet had shrunken to half of what it was the week before. I would say that the rotifers had a large part in the break down of the food pellet because of my observations during week 3 when they were very active around the pellet and week 4 when they doubled in size. I also saw a big change in the Chroocus organisms. Overall, the organisms had finished their separation cycle numerous times. I saw 3-4 groups of Chroocus organisms in numbers ranging from 10-15 of them. I simply scanned the bottom substrate and found them in these large numbers.

The overall activity of my aquarium was also lower than it was in week 3. There was still some activity around the food pellet but not nearly as much as before. I saw that many organisms were found in the two plants. When I found this, I saw that multiple types of organisms were being active around the area. I found that multiple Glaucoma organisms were feeding off of the scattered food pellet that had been broken down and scattered around the aquarium. The were creating a current using their membranelles to attract the food and capture it for entry into their mouth that is located on the ventral side of their bodies (Patterson 126). Some organisms had very little movement and were being idle in between the protection of the plants.

 I also found some new organisms within the two plants. I found a massive nematode inside of the Amblestegium varium ( Patterson 28). The size of this organism was crazy to me. It had a snake like gliding movement and was moving through the plant like it wasn't even there. I didn't see it feed on anything while I was looking at it, but it was moving towards the food pellet so it was on a mission to find something to feed off of. I also found numerous diatoms scattered around the open areas of my aquarium near the bottom of the substrate. These organisms were slowly gliding along using their raphe to create motion. I was able to examine them closely and find their golden chloroplasts and their cells that were enclosed in the frustule region of their bodies (Patterson 28).



Sources:

Patterson, D.J. 1992. Free living Freshwater Protozoa: A colour Guide. Washington D.C.: Wolfe Publishing LTD. 28, 126 p

Blog #3

Percy McReynolds

Botany 111 003

Dr. McFarland

11/2/14

Botany blog #3

This week in my micro aquarium I saw a great increase in activity from organisms of all kinds. There was an input of a single Beta Food Pellet into my aquarium this week on Friday October 24, 2014. The food pellet was bought from "Atison's Betta Food" made by Ocean Nutrition, Aqua Pet Americas, 3528 West 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104. The pellet was made up of Fish meal, wheat flower, soy meal, krill meal, minerals, vitamins and preservatives. Its makeup produces a final pellet that consists of 36 percent Crude Protein, 4.5 percent Crude fat, 3.5 percent Crude Fiber, 8 percent moisture, and 15 percent ash (McFarland 2014).


When I started looking at my blog, I started in the same place that I did for the second analysis which was the bottom of the aquarium where the sediment build up was located. When I did this, I found that much of the food pellet and the 2 plants had been broken down by the Euchlanis rotifers. The rotifers would sit near the food source and would crush and consume parts of the pellet and would spit out the rest for consumption of other organisms. I also found multiple vorticella at the substrate of the sediment. The organisms were using their ciliary organelles to capture floating food. The organism would use the upper band of the ciliary organelle to create a current to attract the food and capture it for consumption (Patterson p114). Below is a photo of the organism.

  

I also found multiple Euplotes. These organisms were found along the substrate of the sediment. They were using their Cirri organelles to move along the sediment to collect food for consumption ( Patterson p124). Below is a photo I took while I was watching them move around the sediment.

One of the most bizarre organisms I found were the alteria. The reason it was so weird to me was because I found them at the top of my aquarium. This is very unusual for these organisms to be found near the top of an environment. There was a great number of these organisms found in my aquarium, which is very common with the type of water source I have. One of the most interesting organisms I found was the Chroococus. These organisms are usually hemispherical and in pairs with their straight sides facing each other (Cante-Lund and WG Lund p196). They are very common in my water source. The reason I found them so interesting was the fact that I found them when they were in four layers. Each time they divide, they create a new cell, which creates small groups of these organisms. Their color consists of a green and yellow layer tint pigmentation (Cante-Lung and WG Lung p196).

 

 

The amount of activity in my blog was amazing. When the food pellet was inserted, much of the organisms were feeding off the pellet right near it or at the bottom of the substrate of the sediment. I found many organisms I had not seen in my first or second examination and their amount of growth was very interesting.



Sources:


McFarland, Kenneth [Internet] Botany 111 Fall 2014. [cited 24 October 2014]. Available from http://botany1112014.blogspot.com/ In text citation. (McFarland, 2014)

Patterson, D.J. 1992. Free living Freshwater Protozoa: A colour Guide. Washington D.C.: Wolfe Publishing LTD. 114, 124 p


Cante-Lund, Hilda and Lund, John WG 1995. Freshwater algae. Bristol, England: Biopress L+D. 196 P.


  

Blog #2

Percy McReynolds

Kenneth McFarland

Botany 111 003

October 27, 2014

Blog #2


When I went to look at my aquarium this week, the change I saw was very noticeable. When I analyzed my aquarium for the first time, I noticed a few different organisms at the bottom of the aquarium where the sediment was placed near the two different types of plants. After my observations of these organisms, I was able to identify them as arthropods. I also saw many free roaming algae floating around towards the bottom of my aquarium. Since then, I found many different kinds of organisms living in my aquarium during my second examination.

The microscope I used during my second examination enabled me to use a camera and a computer monitor to analyze my aquarium while also taking pictures of any organisms I found. When I first started using the microscope I was a little confused of how its functions worked, but I quickly was able to figure it out and I used it to my advantage. I first started examining the top area of my aquarium, but I quickly found out that many of the organisms were not located there. When I found this out, I decided to move down to the bottom of the aquarium. I started at one end of the aquarium and slowly examined the sediment area and the area around the two different plants. When I did this I was able to find many different kinds of organisms.

The first organism I ran into was the organelle Cilia. I found it free roaming near the bottom of the aquarium near the two plants. The Cilia was using its many flagella to rapidly move the water and the sediment around to absorb food. My aquarium has a very simple food chain right now so the competition between organisms is higher than usually, which causes the Cilia to work  harder to adequate food to supply its membrane with food. I also found multiple Euclanis rotifers at the bottom of my aquarium moving in and out of the sediment and the different plants. The rotifer used its tail to move around the sediment as I watched it. As I researched more about rotifers, I found that they are very common in freshwater because the are free roaming and decompose organic soil matter (Robert 1989). I also researched and found that rotifers are very major food source in many freshwater organisms. Below is an image I took of the Euchlanis Rotifer while it was near the bottom of the sediment decomposing the organic matter. I noticed its tail was one of the most important parts of its body because its whole objective is to decompose matter constantly.

Sources:

Patterson, D.J. 1992. Free living Freshwater Protozoa: A colour Guide. Washington D.C.: Wolfe Publishing LTD. 259 p.

Prescott, G.W. 1954-1964. The Fresh Water Algae. Dubuque, Iowa. WM. C. Brown Company Publishers. 162 P.


   

Post 1: Introdution to my aquarium

Percy McReynolds
Botany 111 003
10/19/14



My aquarium comes from water source number 9, the Pond at Sterchi Hills Greenway on Rife Range Rd. Knox Co. Knoxville TN Full sun N36 02.687 W83 57.159 1065 ft 10/12/2014. The water consists of mostly sheet runoff. Sheet runoff is a type of soil erosion runoff that usually consists of the transportation of sediment from the overflow of water because of the lack of a defined channel. Because of this, much of the water from the pond for my aquarium was very sediment heavy. The sediment was not very transparent, which cause my water to have a darker tint.

To set up my aquarium, I used the micro aquarium tank which was made from glass, a lid and a stand to create an environment. When I got this done, I placed about 1/3 of the sediment and water from the bottom of the bowl that had the water source from the Sterchi Hills Greenway into the tank. After that I put another 1/3 of water from the Greenway except I took it from the middle of the bowl to get a verity of sediment build up. After that, I filled the rest of the aquarium with water from the surface of the bowl. When these steps were completed, I placed some Amblestegium varium, which is a small or medium size plants with stems that are obscurely angled, prostrate and branched. the branches are slender, irregular, erect or ascending, never plume-like, straight or with tips incurved. The plant can be found growing in extensive loose or crowded tufts, bright green, dull dark green or pale yellow green, on ground, decayed wood, bases of trees and rocks in moist, wet or shady places. I placed this plant on one side of the aquarium. on the other side of the aquarium I placed Utricularia gibba, which is  a small- to medium-sized aquatic plant that can either be affixed to the substrate in shallow water or free-floating in the water column. it flowers more if supported by a substrate beneath shallow water. It forms mats of criss-crossing, branching, thread-like stolons. By placing multiple plants my aquarium along with a certain kind of water source, I was able to introduce new different kinds of algae and organisms from the Sterchi Hills greenway. I also created an aquarium in which  I will be able to examine on a weekly basis. 

My water source compared to the other sources was pretty different. My pond thrives of the transportation of rainwater due to the overflow of certain areas of land around the Sterchi Hills Greenway, which causes the overflow to flow into the pond, bringing large of sediment with it. The other water sources were varied in the water input. Some were spring fed, which causes the sediment to be spread out in a more large area because of the journey it takes to get to the water source. My pond is also located in full sun compared to some of the others that are in a sun/ shade area. Since my water source is located in a full sun location, the water temperature will be at an overall higher level than the other water sources. Because of this, many different organisms live in my water source because of their ability to withstand the high temperatures.

Many of the organisms I saw when I was examining my aquarium were not moving. When I placed the different types of plant in my aquarium on each side, the organisms tended to navigate towards the plants and did not move. This gave me the ability to examine closely, but it was hard to find them at first. Their bodies seemed very tic like to me. They had a circular to oval like body that had multiple legs that would come off of it. It was hard to tell the shape of the leg, but they seemed to look like the organisms in the arthropod group. I also saw multiple free roaming circular organisms that had tiny like circular shapes in their body structure. Their structure was also green, which exemplifies they characteristics of the algae family. This shows that algae is going to be very prominent in my aquarium.


Sources:

            "Illustrated Self-Guided Course On How To Use The Slide Rule." International Slide Rule Museum. ISRM Is the World's Largest Free Digital Repository of All Things concerning Slide Rules and Other Math Artifacts. There Are over 7000 Images or PDF's in the ISRM Galleries" N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.      

"Microscopy-UK Full Menu of Microscopy and Microscopes on the Web." Microscopy-UK Full Menu of Microscopy and Microscopes on the Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

Amblestegium varium (Internet). BBS Field guide; (cited 2014 October 24) Available at:
http://www.bbsfieldguide.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdfs/mosses/Amblystegium_varium.pdf

Utricularia gibba (Internet) Aquatic Plant Central; c2008-2009 (cited 24 October 2014). Available at:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=268

McFarland, Kenneth [Internet] Botany 111 Fall 2014. [cited 24 October 2014]. Available from http://botany1112014.blogspot.com/

In text citation. (McFarland, 2014)