For the creation of the MicroAquarium, 12 random water samples were provided. I extracted water and soil from sample #7 and placed a portion of two provided plants (plant A and plant B) inside the aquarium.
When studying the contents of the aquarium, I focused on the observation of two organisms: A rotifer and an epistylis. Information for each organism was found in the provided links below.
Rotifer: multicellular organism recongnized in the animalia family. They have complete digestive tracts (including mouth parts and anuses) and have specialized organ systems. Certain species can procreate asexually. Rotifers are archaic organisms; some of their fossils dating back to the tertiary period of the Cenozoic Era (33.7-54.8 million years ago).
www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/phyla/rotifera/rotifera.html
Epistylis: a type of protozoan whose structure consists of a stalk-like body and a bulb-like head which can be seen when "colonies" cluster on the outer layer of certain crustaceans. Epistylis generally feed on bacteria and particles in the water. It is thought that "their abundance is directly proportional to the degree of organic pollution in the water." I thought these were especially interesting. They appeared to stem out of plant and had peculiar body movements. They would coil (almost similar to a slinky) and then their stalk would quickly straighten. It seemed that during this stage, they were feeding on smaller particles that floated into their open mouthparts.
www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/pub/FHEpistylisTemnocephia/index.php?0408
An image of an Epistylis can be seen by clicking on the following link:
http://school.uaschools.org/tremont/MediaCenter/AskRob/robgraphics/epistylis2.jpg
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