Jun 3-6, 2009
This was taken from a shallow rocky part of the creek that was sheltered from the current. The surface was covered in fine mud and bubbly green mats, with more growing on the rocks below. These were mainly Spirogyra but also had smaller amounts of Zygnema, Mougeotia, and brown cyanobacterial filaments, the last sometimes gliding.
A wide variety of diatoms occurred throughout. Water taken off the algae was home to a great many ciliates, including small and possibly spineless prostomes in large groups, Aspidisca and other small oval kinds, and some larger Phyllopharyngea, Stylonychia, green Paramecium, and contractile pleurostomes.
Several other types of ciliates and rotifers were seen once or twice, as well as some roundworms and midge larvae. There were also a few amoebae including Actinophrys, Vampyrella feeding on the algae, and other heliozoan-like or discose sorts.
↬ Thanks to Michael Plewka, author of plingfactory: life in water, for the identification of Cephalodella and to phycologist Roman Romanov for confirming the identification of Ulnaria, Pinnularia, and Naviculales.
