Post 2

Observation on Thursday October 30, 2014

I observed my microaquarium this week and was able to notice an immediate difference.  Organisms were much larger after the food pellet was added, and there was much more activity.  I observed different organisms and was able to capture photos of some. I captured two organisms with the camera this week in my microaquarium.  I found Turbellaia Zooids and Euplots.

 I found this Zooid in my microaquarium.  This was in a chain of zooids in rhabdocoels.  These zooids are in chains in Turbellaria and pinch off into individual zooids.  All fresh-water American Turbellaria are hermaphrodotic, and the organ systems are very complex.  There are various types of reproductive systems for this organism (Patterson, D.J.)

I found this Euplot in my microaquarium.  The adoral zone of membranelles forms a collar a collar that goes around the front of the cell.  There is also a lapel that leads to the cytostome.  To the right of the mouth of the cell, there is the undulating membarne.  There are locomotor cilia are found in many clusters, but the most obvious is the line of transverse cirri.  There are also frontoventrals and caudal cirri.  There is also a contractile vacuole present (Patterson, 1953).

Bibliography

Patterson, D.J. Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa. Washington DC: Wolfe, 2003. Print.

Pennak, Robert W. Fresh-Water Invertebrates of the United States. New York: Ronald, 1953. Print.