September 1-4, 2008
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This sample was from the edge of a large duck pond by the highway. The vegetation taken consisted of floating Potamogeton or pondweed with thin, grass-like leaves, with other plants occurring further out. It contained very numerous snails about 2-5 mm in size, mostly pond snails but some ramshorns, as well as a few damselfly larvae.
Vorticellids were predominant, forming large clusters on the pondweed, snails, and on surface films. Nothing else occurred in abundance, but when individual snails were put on the slide there was often a ciliate, rotifer, or arthropod with them. For algae, only a single Pseudopediastrum was found among the snail droppings.
↬ Thanks to Michael Plewka, author of plingfactory: life in water, for the identification of Mytilina as well as confirming Notommata tripus and to Bruce Taylor for confirming Strobilidium.