Sep 13-15, 2008

This was a clump of submerged moss taken from a shallow marsh running along the bottom of a hill. The water was very shallow with a soft muddy bottom. The surface was sprinkled with duckweed and after a while several pond snails emerged, as well as some water beetles and leeches. These left many droppings and after a day or two the surface started filming over.

Throughout there were plentiful green Paramecium, Lecane, ostracods, and cyclopoids along with their larvae. There were innumerable flagellates including several types of euglenids. Vorticellids were also abundant, especially on the moss, where they were mingled with Stentor and Rotaria.

Some other types occurred away from the moss, including several Pandorina, colepids, and Lepadella. When bacterial films started developing they were home to small ciliates. A number of other protozoa and rotifers were only noticed once or twice.

↬ Thanks to protistologist Dr. Ferry Siemensma, author of Microworld: world of amoeboid organisms, for the identification of Netzelia and to Michael Plewka, author of plingfactory: life in water, for the identification of Notommata and a germinating green alga.