November 11, 2011

On the final analysis of my Micro Aquarium not much has changed since the week before. The organisms are still  present and seem to be living well. There has not been any new organisms that have been discovered but the four that were mentioned in the last blog are plentiful. They are very active and are multiplying rapidly. The only drastic change I have noticed on today's observation is the overwhelming growth of the Cyanobacteria Blue Algae (Forest 1954). This Blue Algae doesn't seem to be harming the organisms but in fact the opposite. The Algae is more dense at the soil levels and around the plant life. This is also where most of the organisms are  found. This could be that the organisms are either feeding on the algae or they are providing a sort of protection or shelter for the organisms. But as the algae expands more away from the soil levels or vegetation, the Blue Algae strands decrease.

Work Cited:
Herman Siva Forest. 1954. Handbook of Algae. Knoxville TN. The University of Tennessee Pres. Pg.387 Fig. 604.

November 1st Analysis

Diatom (Ranis, Russell fig. 46)

Diatoms are a unicellular algae that is commonly found in streams and rivers.

                                                                               
                                                              Epalxis(Patterson Fig. 311)
                                    

Nematode(Patterson Fig. 18)

Nematodes are a multicellular organism that is found in many soils(http://nematode.unl.edu/Wormgen.htm).

                                                             Rotifer(Smith Fig. 7.14)

I have added These pictures to the blog to show the organisms that are found within my Micro aquarium. These include Diatoms, Rotifers, Epalxis, and Nematodes. These organisms were located in the lower region of the aquarium before the soil line and right under the vegetation. The Nematodes were very active while the Diatoms were not as mobile. The Rotifer was by far the biggest organism in the Aquarium and is constantly feeding. On further inspection of the overall aquarium I noticed all the dead organims were found along the soil line and were putting nutrients in the soil by decaying. No water was added but it does look as if more food pellets were.

Work Cited
http://nematode.unl.edu/Wormgen.htm

Smith, Douglas G. 2001. Pennaks Freshwater Invertibrates of the United States. 4th edition. New York, NY. John Wiley and Sons.

Patterson, D.J., 1992. Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa, London, (UK): Manson Publishing. pages 25- 141.

Ranis, K.; Russell, B. 1996. Guide to Microlife. Danbury, Connecticut: Groiler Publishing pg. 207