First Observation 10/24

On my first observation of my micro-aquarium I saw many interesting things. The first organism (and the most interesting one) I saw was a Copepod. It looked like a horseshoe crab. I thought it was most interesting because it was the most complex organism I saw. I learned it was a copepod from the poster in the room. 

The second organisms I saw had the Phylum: Gastrotricha, Genus: Lepidodermella (Guide to Microlife, 1996). They had two distinct tales, and are found in soils, sands, and surfaces of brown muds (which is where i saw them). They lack circulatory, respiratory, and skeletal systems (Guide to Microlife, 1996). 

Another organism I saw in my observation was a Tachysoma. There were many of these organisms on the top layer of scum at the bottom of the micro-aquarium (Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa, 2003).

The last organism I saw, and the biggest, was a long, skinny, worm-looking organism known as a Aeolsoma (Fresh Water Biology, 1918). It appeared to be digging its way through the scum. 

Citations:

Rainis, Kenneth, and Bruce Russell. Guide to Microlife. 1st. Danbury, 

Connecticut: Grolier, 1996.

Patterson, D.J.. Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa. 1st. Washington D.C.: 

Manson, 2003.

Ward, Henry, and George Whipple. Fresh Water Biology. 1st. New York: John 

Wiley and Sons Inc., 1918.