Week 2

This week in my MicroAquarium, I noticed a major change throughout. The MicroAquarium life had burst and there were microorganisms every where, a lot more than there was last week. I also discovered a green algae, Euglena, growing in my MicroAquarium. Euglena is a unicellular flagellate protist that can be found in fresh or salt waters and are heterotrophs and autotrophs. I also discovered numbers of slow moving organisms that were long and oval shaped. I then found out that the organisms were Paramecium sp. that had Chlorella sp. inside of each which made them have a green appearance (Video 1).

Video 1

It was assumed by McFarland that one got stuck in the intersections and overlapping of the mosses in the MicroAquarium and began reproducing asexually. Paramecium sp. are a genus of unicellular ciliate protozoa (Patterson and Hedley). Within each Paramecium sp. is Chlorella sp. that are living in a symbiotic relationship (Luna and Luna). Next, I observed what was a Stentor sp. which was trumpet shaped when extended but oval while swimming (Picture 1).

Picture 1

Lastly, I observed a Limnias sp. while it was filtering the water around itself (Video 2). This microorganism lives in a self built tube attached to the water plants around it (Pennak). Attached to it is a rotifer which uses fast moving cilia to create a vortex that allows it to sweep in food particles where the gut within the microorganism is seen grinding the food (Pennak). 

                                

  Video 2