Week 1 Observations

This week we set up our term project a microaquarium. I used water from the plastic bird bath in Fountain City. I added water from the top, middle, and bottom layer to ensure a good sample. We started with a very small glass aquarium and added the water source and two plant species for food. The two plants were Fontinalis sp. Moss and Utricularia gibba L these plants will feed the protists we are studying in this project. After the setup we put the aquarium under a light microscope and observed the microenviroment. I could see nodules on the plants and small organisms swimming in the water. One of these orgamisms had a large circular head and moved very quickly. We will revisit our aquariums each week and record any observations. I expect that more protists will be visable next week.