^ Ciliophora (Ciliates)

November 16, 2008

Organisms Observed:

1. Phylum: Ciliophora

Class: Peritrichia

Genus: Vortecetia

-found in quiet waters attached to aquatic plants and other submerged objects including turtle shells, gills of crayfish, and aquatic insects.

-transparent and vaseshaped, can grow in colonies.

Other Observations:

-saw swimming sperm of one of the plant species.

-there was seed dispersal throughout the water

-species Ostrocoda have increased significantly

-Plant B has reached out across the entire aquarium and has obvious seed buddings on its limbs

^ Gastrotricha

^ Ciliophora (Ciliates)

November 9, 2008

1. Pylum: Ciliophora

Class: Spirotrichia

Genus: Halteria

-found in quiet waters among decaying vegetation or near the bottom

-transparent, round or broadly oval body that has aconspicuous groove at the top. They move in a pringing movement that is smilar to a bouncing ball

-they are omnivores and they feed on a variety of microalgae and smaller protists

2. Phylum: Gastrotricha

Genus: Lepidodermella

-found in bogs, mossy pools, plant choked ditches, and quiet waters

-brownish to transparent, its head has 3 distinct lobes and 2 pairs of tufts. Body is covered in tiny scales and has 2 posterior curved prongs.

-Lack circulatory,respiratory, and skeletal organ systems

2nd Observation

^ Arcella

^Paramecium

^ Ostracoda

November 2nd, 2008

Oraganisms Observed:

1. Ostracoda (Darwinula) "Seed Shrimp"

-found in soils, sands, aquatic vegetation, along the bottom shallows of temporary pools, ponds, streams, creeks, ditches, and marshes

-color ranges from chalky white to yellow; Light-colored valves often blotched with dark colors. Can be gray, brown, or green. They have bivalved shells that are shaped like flattened seeds. Most shells have hairy margins, a distinctive "eye" that can often be seen through the shell. The move in a slow kreeping motion to rapid bouncing and scurrying; 9 different kinds.

2. Phylum: Ciliophora (Ciliates)

Genus: Parammecium

-Protist found in shallows among submerged debris, spaces between sand or soil particles, or scum.

-Posterior end is bluntly pointed, it has 2 contractive vacuoles and swims in slow, corkscrew motion

-Have dartlike structures that attack other protists such as Didinium

3. Arcella

-Has a lobose pseudopodia witha single, central and ventral aperture from which the locomotor and feeding pseudopodia emerge.

-round, usually clear but accumulates metal salts from the medium and becomes brown with time.

Other Observations:

-Aquarium was not as active as it was during the first observation. However it seemed that most of the life had settled to the bottom of the structure. There is also an unusual form of the organism in the phylum Staurastrum Punctulatum, which greatly ressembled that of a Japanese species of that certain organism. The Organism has 2 green triangles connected together by a single green rod in the middle of the organism.