Lab Report

Michelle Brown

S. Furches

Biology 111, Section 005

25 November 2008

Term Project: MicroAquarium^TM Lab Report

Introduction:                        The world is an evolving ecosystem; organisms interact with one another and their physical surroundings. Due to the complexity, organisms are classified and grouped into different levels of classification. These classification levels can be reflected on evolutionary characteristics and morphological aspects of the living organisms. The process of classifying, describing, and naming organisms is formally known as taxonomy (Cook and McFarland 81). It is found to be a diverse procedure; therefore, it contains several steps. The first stage of classification is to determine what domain the living creature remains within. The domain, broadest classification category, consists of Eukaryotic, Bacteria, and Archaea. However, each domain can be further broken down into more specific groups. For example, the domain Eukaryote contains four different kingdoms, Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, and Protista (Raven, Evert, and Eichhorn). Within each kingdom a variety of organisms can be detected, some seen by the naked eye and others a microscope is needed (Cook and McFaland 81). Organisms are found throughout the entire world; some are found in extreme climates, while others surround our everyday lives. Therefore, this lab is created to observe mainly Prostista, Animalia, and Plantae during a specific time interval. A MicroAquarium^TM will be constructed including a local water source and two different plant specimens. This experiment will detect the Protista organisms that surround our everyday lives and how they evolve. Notes and pictures will be taken each week to reveal the changes in the newly created atmosphere.

Materials and Methods:            A glass mini-aquarium was obtained along with a lid and bottom. Three different circle stickers were then added to represent the lab section, location of lab table, and seat of each lab table. Then, on the three stickers the student’s initials were added to designate their specific aquarium. Afterwards, ¾ of the tank was filled with the student’s choice of water source; 1/3 of the tank was filled with the bottom portion of the source, the next 1/3 was taken from the middle, and the last third was extracted from the top layer of the water source. Also, sediments of the collected water source covered the floor of the aquarium. The aquarium was filled with pond specimen #4; it was located in Knox County at Horse Farm Pond. The water was partially visible to sunlight and partly in the shade. Two different types of plant specimen were then added to the newly created atmosphere. The two plants consisted of Amblystegium varium, a type of moss, which was gathered from a natural spring in Fountain City Park, and the Utricularia vulgaris, a carnivous flowering plant, which was collected from the greenhouse on White Ave. After the aquarium was created, a lid was placed on top and set in a plastic container. For the next month, food was added and observations were taken on the evolving ecosystem. In order to share the observations, blogs were created. Each week throughout the month posts were made and pictures were attached.

The blog’s information consisted of-            

Name: Michelle Brown

                                                        Display Name: brown82

Blog URL: http://botany-brown.blogspot.com/

Results and Observations:           

Weekly Observations

Discussion:            During the month of observations, an organism that was detected several times throughout the aquarium was the Rotifer. The organism is mainly found within freshwater environments and sometimes detected in seawater adaptations. The Rotifer is a multicellular organism, and the pictures above reveal the organism is completely see through. It contains random sudden movements from one direction to the next, making it hard to follow. In the MicroAquarium^TM, they were commonly detected within the Utricularia vulgaris. Scientifically, the Rotifer that was detetcted within the adaptation is known as the Euchlanis dilatata.

Classification Levels- Euchlanis dilatata

Domain: Eukaryote

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Rotifera

Class: Monogononta

Order: Ploima

The reproduction of a Rotifer can be either asexual or sexual. However, the majority of the time females reproduce asexually by cloning themselves and producing eggs. These eggs develop without fertilization. When the climate begins to change and the surroundings become drier, smaller eggs are produced. These smaller eggs are formed into male rotifers; they on the other hand have to be fertilized. When better moist conditions return, the male eggs will hatch (Rotifers).

Citations:

Cook, Rebecca, and Kenneth McFarland. General Botany 111 Laboratory Manual, 1995.

Raven, Peter, Ray F. Evert, and Susan E. Eichorn. Biology of Plants. 7^th ed.  New York: W.H. Freeman and Company Publishers, 2005.

Rotifers. Nature Navigator: A Guide to British Wildlife Names. Natural History Mueseum. 2004.

24. Nov. 2008. .