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.