Last Tuesday I made my second observation of my Microaquarium. I noted several organisms living in every region of the tank. The lifeforms had settled down a lot since the initial examination last week. Most of the activity was focused around the moss. I noticed several Euglenoids and Desmids in particular (Rainis & Russell, 1996). The Euglenoids were identified to be the Phacus species, and they movedquite rapidly using their flagella. They had a wide range of travel, moving up, down, left or right with relative ease and smooth motions. The Desmids were identified to be the species Chlorophyta. They moved slowly, with very subtle motions of the flagella on opposite ends of their banana-like shape. They were green, meaning they contained chloroplasts. There were also several other super small organisms that I was unable to identify. This week I will have the aid of the instructor to assess exactly what those were. They appeared to be single-celled lifeforms that simple shuttered or vibrated back and forth. Like shaky spheres.
Bibliography:
Rainis K, Russell B. 1996. Guide to Microlife. New York: Franklin Watts Publishing. 287p.
Pennak, R. 1989. 3rd Edition. Freshwater Invertebrates of the United States: Protozoa to Mollusca. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 628p.
Patterson, DJ. 2003. Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa: A Color Guide. Washington D.C.: ASM Press. 223p.
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