10/15/2013
Today I assembled my Microaquarium for Botany class. The purpose of the Microaquarium is to help our class learn about the wide range of lifeforms and diversity found in the smallest of places. We will be observing organisms on both a micro and macro scale.
The entire process of setting up the Microaquarium didn't take very long, about 15 minutes, once everyone knew where to find all of the materials they needed. I obtained a glass tank, a lid, and a tank stand and assembled them. Then, I was instructed to obtain 3 colored sticker dots, to place on the left margin of my glass tank. The first dot represented the lab section I was in, while the second dot represented which table I was sitting at, and the third dot represented my seat number at my table. I then wrote my initials on the dots to ensure I would be able to identify my Microaquarium in the future.
There were several containers laid around the lab with various numbers assigned to them. These were filled with the different water samples the instructor had collected. Unexpectedly, I got to choose which water source I wanted to use for my Microaquarium project. I had previously asked the instructor if there would be water samples made available from Third Creek, a notoriously polluted area located right next to the university's agricultural campus that I had always been curious to sample, and the instructor stated that he would get some samples if we really wanted to study them. Naturally, I selected the Third Creek sample to add to my Microaquarium. The information for the sample area was:
Third Creek in Tyson Park, Knox Co., Knoxville, TN
area in partial shade
N30 57 13.53 W83 56 32.37
824ft. on 10-14-2013
I next used pipettes to apply the sample into my Microaquarium tank, making sure to collect some sediment
material from the bottom of the container, and also collecting water from the surface to ensure I had an accurate representation of the various lifeforms that lived in the different strata of the water sample. Next, I added some samples of plant life. One form was Utricularia gibba, which is a carnivorous, flowering plant. It was originally from Spain Lake (N 35o55 12.35" W088o20' 47.00), Camp Bella Air Road, East of Sparta, TN in White County, and is also grown in water tanks outside Hesler Biology Building at The University of Tennessee and was collected on 10/13/2013. The other plant form was a moss, Fontinalis sp., collected from the Holston River along John Sevier Hwy under the I-40 Bridge. It came from an area with partial shade exposure (N36 00.527 W83 49.549) at an elevation of 823 feet, and it was collected on 10/13/2013.
Once the plants were properly positioned inside the tank, I was able to place the tank onto the microscope's
observation deck and study my sample for signs of life. Immediately, I noticed several things moving around in the sample. As I adjusted the focus of the microscope I began to see several multi-cellular organisms. I noticed at least two specimens that appeared to be some sort of mite. They seemed to wander all over the tank. I next noticed movement around the moss plant. I was not able to clearly identify what they were, but hope to be able to next week during my next observation. They were green-colored, and a couple appeared to be shaped like bananas. As I looked closer, I found many single-celled lifeforms inhabiting the upper area of the tank. They seemed to spin end over end, never really slowing down or stopping to clearly see what their structure truly was. I assume that the next viewing will show the organisms a bit more settled.
I plan to make my next observation on Tuesday, October 22nd, between 12-1pm.
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