These are my final observations for the term project. The water level in the micro-aquarium is down by approximately half. In previous weeks the water had only dropped by about a quarter, which makes this much water loss seem strange. The red filamentous growth on the Amblestegium sp. is now visible to the unaided eye. Strangely enough, the growth only appears on the living sections of the plant. Also, the food pellet is almost entirely gone, leaving behind only a small amount of nearly-dissolved residue.
The Utricularia gibba is entirely dead and has even begun to deteriorate. The death of this carnivorous plant could possibly be attributed to the steady decline of overall protist activity with in the aquarium. With the exception of several remaining Seed Shrimp (Ostracoda) there is little activity of any kind. I witnessed 4 to 5 larger Ostracoda with in the substrate and 7 to 10 smaller ones just above the substrate surface. Strangely enough, I noticed no living Vorticella in the aquarium. This is unusual given their previous levels of abundance. The remains of several organisms, primarily Seed Shrimp, can be found with in the tangled plant remains. As I mentioned previously, there are little to no other living creatures left in the micro-aquarium. This rapid decline does raise some questions such as:
What caused the decrease in activity?
Why did the Utricularia gibba die so rapidly?
Is this related to the decline in other organims?
What has allowed the Ostracoda to continue on?
What happened to the overly abundant Vorticella?
Is it possible the beta food pellet was too much food for the fragile miniature ecosystem?
After observing I placed the micro-aquarium back on they tray. I did not worry to refill it as the experiment is now complete.
Observations for week 3 (11/03/2011)
Little has changed with in the micro-aquarium this week since the last observation. The food pellet is still not entirely dissolved at the top of the water line. The water is about a quarter down from where i left it, similar to how it was the week before. The Utricularia gibba is almost entirely dead and much of it has actually begun breaking down, forming a substrate for some of the protists to anchor to. The Amblestegium sp. is only about half dead and even has some lighter green areas forming on it. These discolored segments could potentially be new growth or older ares which are experiencing the onset of chlorosis.
Less of the Vorticella sp. are found attached to the stems of the plants and more of them seem to have become entirely free floating, relying on no anchor what so ever. They appear to have been replaced on the plants by thin, red filamentous growth. Although they are still by far the most abundant organisms, the Vorticella are no where near as densely populated as they were last week. Several Seed Shrimp (Ostracoda sp.) are now visible. They vary in size with several small ones free floating and 4 or 5 larger ones buried in the sediment. There were also several unidentified paramecium floating around, one of which is pictured below.
Like usual I filled the aquarium up and replaced it on the tray when finished.
Fig 1. Vorticella sp. (Patterson 1996, Fig. 232)
Fig 2. Paramecium sp. (www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/paramecium.html)
Less of the Vorticella sp. are found attached to the stems of the plants and more of them seem to have become entirely free floating, relying on no anchor what so ever. They appear to have been replaced on the plants by thin, red filamentous growth. Although they are still by far the most abundant organisms, the Vorticella are no where near as densely populated as they were last week. Several Seed Shrimp (Ostracoda sp.) are now visible. They vary in size with several small ones free floating and 4 or 5 larger ones buried in the sediment. There were also several unidentified paramecium floating around, one of which is pictured below.
Like usual I filled the aquarium up and replaced it on the tray when finished.
Fig 1. Vorticella sp. (Patterson 1996, Fig. 232)
Fig 2. Paramecium sp. (www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/paramecium.html)
Observations for week 2 (10/27/2011)
Upon observing the micro-aquarium without the aid of a microscope I noted that the water level had gone down by about 25%. Also, the dissolving food pellet is still visible, and now is surrounded by some sort of brown filamentous growth. I also noticed a few larger organisms in the aquarium, however I was unable to identify them without the use of microscope.
Once under the scope, it became apparent that there were several minute changes in the ecology of the aquarium. Utricularia gibba is beginning to show signs of death as multiple brown discolorations appeared on the stem of the plant. Many of the digestive sacs on the Utricularia gibba have ruptured and are filled with some sort of filamentous, algae like growth. The Amblestegium sp. has similar growth scattered across its stem, as well as a small amount of death at the lower right hand corner of the plant. Regardless of these factors both plants show signs of new growth.
Vorticella sp. seems to currently be the most abundant organism in the micro-aquarium. Last week there were only 3 to 5 specimen per frame, but now they have reached up to 12 per frame. Most of them remain anchored to the plants, however several now float around attached to sediment or dead plant tissue. Some Vorticella are even free floating. Also, this is the first time I have witnessed Seed Shrimp (Ostracoda sp.)in my aquarium. These look something like microscopic bivalves with hair like appendages protruding to capture nutrients. The only other major organism I could find was the occasional paramecium.
After finishing my observations I refilled the micro-aquarium and placed it on the tray for later study.
Fig 1. (www.ucmp.berkley.edu/arthropoda/crustacea/maxillapoda/ostracoda.html)
Once under the scope, it became apparent that there were several minute changes in the ecology of the aquarium. Utricularia gibba is beginning to show signs of death as multiple brown discolorations appeared on the stem of the plant. Many of the digestive sacs on the Utricularia gibba have ruptured and are filled with some sort of filamentous, algae like growth. The Amblestegium sp. has similar growth scattered across its stem, as well as a small amount of death at the lower right hand corner of the plant. Regardless of these factors both plants show signs of new growth.
Vorticella sp. seems to currently be the most abundant organism in the micro-aquarium. Last week there were only 3 to 5 specimen per frame, but now they have reached up to 12 per frame. Most of them remain anchored to the plants, however several now float around attached to sediment or dead plant tissue. Some Vorticella are even free floating. Also, this is the first time I have witnessed Seed Shrimp (Ostracoda sp.)in my aquarium. These look something like microscopic bivalves with hair like appendages protruding to capture nutrients. The only other major organism I could find was the occasional paramecium.
After finishing my observations I refilled the micro-aquarium and placed it on the tray for later study.
Fig 1. (www.ucmp.berkley.edu/arthropoda/crustacea/maxillapoda/ostracoda.html)
Observations for week 1 (made up on 10-24)
Observations for week #1
On Friday, October 21st the food pellet was placed in the micro-aquarium. The following information is concerning the food pellet:
"Atison's Betta Food" made by Ocean Nutrition, Aqua Pet Americas, 3528 West 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104. Ingredients: Fish meal, wheat flower, soy meal, krill meal, minerals, vitamins and preservatives. Analysis: Crude Protein 36%; Crude fat 4.5%; Crude Fiber 3.5%; Moisture 8% and Ash 15%.
On Monday, October 24th I spotted several micro-organisms within the aquarium. The most prominent of these was the protist Vorticella. These nearly invisible creatures were found mainly attached to the tissues of the aquatic plants via a small, retractable filament structure (myoneme?). Their feeding parts were surrounded by a thin band of undulating cilia which most likely provided current, forcing nutrients into the organisms gut cavity. I also observed a single Philodina within the aquarium this week. Other than that, it was mainly several small unidentified protists. After observing I filed the aquarium the rest of the way with water and placed back in the tray.
Micro-Aquarium Set Up
Week of 10-12-2011:
Steps taken to set up:
1. Obtained a Micro-Aquarium
2. Filled with water from selected source (source 13)
- careful to gather water from varying depths with different amounts of sediment
3. Added plants A and B to aquarium
4. Capped with glass lid and sticky putty
- micro-aquarium is setup and ready for experiment
* used water from source 13: Plastic Bird Bath pool . 0.9 mile from Fountain City Pond on Fountain Rd. Knox Co. Knoxville TN Partial shade exposure N 36o02.249' W083o55.999' 1121 ft 10/9/2011
* contains both plant specimens A and B:
- specimen A: Amblestegium sp. Moss. Collection from: Natural spring. at Carters Mill Park, Carter Mill Road, Knox Co. TN. Partial shade exposure. N36 01.168 W83 42.832. 10/9/20 11
- specimen B: Utricularia gibba L. Flowering plant. A carnivous plant. Original material from south shore of Spain Lake (N 35o55 12.35" W088o20' 47.00), Camp Bella Air Rd. East of Sparta Tn. in White Co. and grown in water tanks outside of greenhouse at Hesler Biology Building. The University of Tennessee. Knox Co. Knoxville TN.
Micro-Aquarium upon completion (10-12-2011)
Preliminary observations:
When observed with the unaided eye, little activity is visible. Under the scope I am able to see a few sparsely dispersed micro organisms. However, at this time I am unable to identify most of them.
Steps taken to set up:
1. Obtained a Micro-Aquarium
2. Filled with water from selected source (source 13)
- careful to gather water from varying depths with different amounts of sediment
3. Added plants A and B to aquarium
4. Capped with glass lid and sticky putty
- micro-aquarium is setup and ready for experiment
* used water from source 13: Plastic Bird Bath pool . 0.9 mile from Fountain City Pond on Fountain Rd. Knox Co. Knoxville TN Partial shade exposure N 36o02.249' W083o55.999' 1121 ft 10/9/2011
* contains both plant specimens A and B:
- specimen A: Amblestegium sp. Moss. Collection from: Natural spring. at Carters Mill Park, Carter Mill Road, Knox Co. TN. Partial shade exposure. N36 01.168 W83 42.832. 10/9/20 11
- specimen B: Utricularia gibba L. Flowering plant. A carnivous plant. Original material from south shore of Spain Lake (N 35o55 12.35" W088o20' 47.00), Camp Bella Air Rd. East of Sparta Tn. in White Co. and grown in water tanks outside of greenhouse at Hesler Biology Building. The University of Tennessee. Knox Co. Knoxville TN.
Preliminary observations:
When observed with the unaided eye, little activity is visible. Under the scope I am able to see a few sparsely dispersed micro organisms. However, at this time I am unable to identify most of them.
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