Week 5

Observations
The web of filaments continued to reign. The segmented cyanobacteria is lightly covering the lower portion of the  aquarium. There was a lack of seed shrimps, and I specifically observed a dead seed shrimp resting in Plant B. I captured the image below to illustrate not only the seed shrimp, but also the filamentous cyanobacteria:

Overall my MicroAquarium was relatively inactive. In addition to the cyanobacteria and the rare spottings of seed shrimps, I also observed a significant amount of water fleas, also known as daphnia. These water fleas were scattered along the top layer of the soil and both plants. I once again observed two cyclops. According to Ken McFarland, they were young. Both a water flea and one of the cyclops are pictured in the photo below:

Of the few remaining organisms, I luckily observed the annelid, a typical inhabitant of my aquarium. It was actively taking in particles, allowing me to see the particles' movement through its clear skin. There were also two active planerians. These organisms emit a bovine quality, but both planerians were actively weaving through the open water and the soil, often times coming into contact with one another.

The identification of each of these creatures was found using:

Thorp, James H. and Alan P. Conch, eds. 1991. Ecology and Classification of North American Invertebrates. Academic Press, Inc, San Diego, CA.

Week 4

Observations
My MicroAquarium has experienced significant changes since a week ago. As I have observed every Friday, this Friday (Nov. 5) there was some INTENSE plant growth. The lower portion of my aquarium appears to be encompassed by intricate netting. The thatched appearance covers the soil and the base of the plants. I immediately spotted two distinct seed shrimps, the organism with significant population last week, along with two annelids actively swimming in the open areas of the aquarium. I unfortunately spotted one inactive annelid stretched out along the soil. Everything near the dead worm seemed stagnant.

I observed eight to ten seed shrimps on the broad leafed plant (Plant B). The seed shrimps were active, frantically dissecting the plant. I also noticed that the whole aquarium has experienced a drastic increase in tiny creatures. These creatures are clear and move around freely--not in clusters bunched together. They swim in random patterns around the aquarium. I noted at least 20 of these organisms at the base of Plant B.

An exciting observation concerned a brief view of a single cyclops. The creature was near the soil and had two pairs of antennae at the head of its body. The cylcops can swim at a slow pace with the aid of the antennae, or slightly faster with "jerks" if they utilize their other appendages and the thorax (www.microscopy-uk.org.uk).

I also observed an interaction between one of the annelids and a seed shrimp. They didn't visibly dislike one another, but the seed shrimp was occupied breaking down the soil, so it may have been oblivious to the annelid's presence. And when the nondescript tiny organisms would unintentionally come near the larger organisms, it would immediately jerk away, as if sensing danger.

The thin leafed plant once again had sparse life, with a rare seed shrimp here and there. However, I did observe a very peculiar occurrence. There seemed to be a huge bubble structure resting in Plant A. Within the bubble there was a live annelid resting along the curved wall of the bubble. I spotted a total of four bubble structures, along with one more buried in the soil. But no other ones housed a visible living creature inside.

The strange observations of my MicroAquarium will be blamed on the Beta Pellet that was inserted recently. The pellet may have reacted oddly with the pond's organisms to produce the web of plant life along the bottom, and may have also caused the death of the large annelid. Next week's observations will definitely be interesting.

Week 3

Observations
The main sight to see in my MicroAquarium during Week 3's observations was a rather large annelid. This annelid had a bovine aura as it sluggishly weaved its way along the bottom of the aquarium. It is clear with a thick front torso, and the body shape thins towards the back. The second sighting of this annelid was near the broad-leafed plant. Here it encountered anther organism and contracted its body; when it contracts, its body clamps, causing its head to look inflated. In addition to this annelid, I also spotted one more which was much thinner. It was nestled below the soil, actively taking in soil particles. I could literally see the digestion as the soil traveled through the annelid's clear-skinned body (http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/).
The most prominent creatures in the MicroAquarium were the seed shrimps. I spotted at least five to six seed shrimps in the soil, actively breaking it down--and some even regurgitating the previously swallowed soil particles. At one point I was confident that I had spotted an inactive seed shrimp in the gap between the soil layer on the bottom, but ten minutes later I revisited this distinct spot and found nothing. So either the seed shrimp was actually feigning death or the dead seed shrimp was consumed by another organism. The mystery remains. Below is an image of one of the many seed shrimps:

Miscellaneous sightings include a dark grayish-black oval pacman-like creature with hair. A couple of these creatures were either in the soil or at the base of the plants. I also spotted a few of the raindrop-shaped gray organisms and a frantically moving tiny stretchy stick-like organism near the base of a plant.
Activity is still relatively inactive or rare above the soil. I observed miniscule sightings of organisms around the plants, but no significant movement (somewhat negative compared to last week's observations). I specifically saw two seed snails and one worm along the stem of Plant B.
On Friday, October 22, 2010, one Beta Food Pellet was inserted into this MicroAquarium--"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%. (Information from Mr. Ken McFarland)

Bibliography
Pond Life Identification Kit [Internet]. [updated 2000 Nov]. Microscopy-UK; [cited 2010 Oct 22]. Available from <http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/>

Week 2

Observations

Compared to the initial set-up observations, my MicroAquarium has experienced a serious increase in organism populations. I expected to observe my usual annelids again, but instead I spotted seed shrimps, worms, insect larvae, and a variety of small active organisms in addition to the annelids. My first observation involved a clear larvae-like creature near a plant; I could even see its internal organs. I also spotted a significantly larger one at the lower part of the plant. This wormy organism darted through the water in an "S" fashion towards the soil. I researched to find out it was a roundworm (http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/). The creature was captured (miraculously I might add) in the photo below: 

In addition to this roundworm, I observed two largely-sized seed shrimps (Clifford). The most memorable seed shrimp was a LARGE clear jelly organism that was resting on the plant's broad leaves. I noted the visibility of its internal organs and also its leg-like filaments on the front. A picture of this specific seed shrimp is shown below. I also spotted at least one more large seed shrimp and 3-4 smaller ones which tended to reside on the edges of the aquarium.

These two organisms were the most prominent in my aquarium. But I also observed small gray organisms jumping on and off of the plants. These organisms were raindrop-shaped with legs, and repeatedly made erratic trails around my MicroAquarium. Also, there were 15-20 round creatures, too small to capture with the digital equipment. Some of these indistinct organisms actively dealt with the soil, others swam aimlessly around the aquarium or weaved through the soil. I did spot at least one inactive individual of this species. I only had one questionable observation regarding a red-orange pinched cylinder object at the bottom of the aquarium. It was stationary, but I couldn't really tell if if was ever living in the first place. It may be a man-made material that accidentally made its way into the habitat. 

At the end of my observation, I added more of plant B, Utricularia gibba L, upon a request by Mr. Ken McFarland. This addition leads me to also conclude that the majority of my organisms prefer Plant A, Fontinalis sp. Moss (http://botany1112010.blogspot.com/). I assume this is so due to its sturdier build and spacious leaves. But next week's observations may prove me wrong... 

Bibliography

Clifford, Hugh F. [Internet]. University of Alberta: Department of Biological Sciences; [cited 2010 Oct 23]. Available from <http://sunsite.ualberta.ca/Projects/Aquatic_Invertebrates/index.php?Page=29>

Pond Life Identification Kit [Internet]. [updated 2000 Nov]. Microscopy-UK; [cited 2010 Oct 22]. Available from <http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/>

Day ONE (12 Oct. 2010)

To set up the MicroAquarium, I was given a glass tank, a stand holder, and a lid. After applying the color coded dots and my initials to identify my aquarium, I added water, plants and soil. I chose water source number 12: the water pool below the spring, located in Fountain City Park, west of Broadway at Hotel Avenue in Knox County, Knoxville, TN. This water pool has full shade exposure; Spring Feed Pond N36 02.253 W83 55.986 990 ft 10/10/2010 (http://botany1112010.blogspot.com).


After adding the water, I used a pipette to distribute the water source's soil along the bottom of my tank. Then I inserted Plant A: Fontinalis sp. a moss and Plant B: Utricularia gibba L. a flowering plant. 


Observations
Day one's observations yielded few interesting creatures except for two to three annelids, according to Mr. Kenneth McFarland. He said that annelids are recyclers, continually eating and composting. These worm-like, non-green organisms actively weaved their way through the caramel grainy soil throughout the lab period. The annelids remained in the soil, leaving the water relatively clear with no distinct sightings of other organisms--dead or alive.