Microlife: Fish Creek Park - Shallow mud from creek

Aug 5-6, 2012

At this point there had been a mix of hot days, and the creek was reasonably high and clean, without visible algae. The sample was taken from a slow and very shallow portion where many tiny fish had collected. This was mostly fine sediment with a few fragments of leaves and moss, topped off from the main stream.

Fish Creek
Pale snaketail dragonfly

The main living things were diatoms, mostly small rhomboid or lunate kinds followed by longer rods and Amphora. With these were some Closterium and small flagellates. Throughout the sample there were also a considerable diversity of Loxodes, flat spirotrichs, and ploimids, though no single type was very abundant.

Kingdom Bacteria
…Phylum Cyanobacteria – blue-green algae

Cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria - about 12 µm wide

Kingdom Plantae
…Phylum Chlorophyta – green algae

Hydrodictyaceae
Hydrodictyaceae - about 40 µm
Scenedesmaceae
Scenedesmaceae - about 13 µm
Pandorina
Pandorina - about 23 µm
Spirogyra
Spirogyra - about 35 µm wide
Closterium
Closterium - about 140 µm
Closterium
Closterium - about 270 µm
Cosmarium, diatoms
Cosmarium, Diatomeae - about 20, 24, 50 µm
Cosmarium
Cosmarium - about 60 µm

Kingdom Chromista
…Phylum Ciliophora – ciliates

Loxodes
Loxodes - about 85 µm
Loxodes
Loxodes - about 105 µm
Loxodes
Loxodes - about 145 µm
Loxodes
Loxodes - about 170 µm
Holosticha
Holosticha - about 65 µm
Holosticha
Holosticha - about 75 µm
Spirotrich
Spirotrichea - body about 70 µm
Spirotrich
Spirotrichea - body about 120 µm
Stylonychia
Stylonychia - body about 115 µm
Sessilid
Sessilida - about 45 µm
Vorticellid
Vorticellidae - body about 25 µm

…Phylum Ochrophyta – heterokont algae

Diatoms
Diatomeae - about 18 µm wide
Diatoms
Diatomeae - about 16, 115 µm
Diatoms, Hydrodictyaceae
Diatomeae, Hydrodictyaceae - about 250, 35-40 µm
Diatoms
Diatomeae - about 35 µm, 11 µm wide
Diatoms
Diatomeae - about 18, 45 µm
Diatoms
Diatomeae - cells about 50 µm
Diatom
Diatomeae - about 65 µm
Diatom
Diatomeae - about 75 µm
Diatom, Cosmarium
Diatomeae, Cosmarium - about 50, 24 µm
Diatom
Diatomeae - about 55 µm
Diatom
Diatomeae - about 75 µm
Cocconeis
Cocconeis - about 30 µm
Diatom
Diatomeae - about 26 µm
Gomphonema
Gomphonema - cell about 40 µm
Diatoms
Diatomeae - about 18-30 µm
Encyonema
Encyonema - about 55 µm
Cymbella
Cymbella - about 80 µm
Cymbella
Cymbella - about 140 µm
Diatom
Diatomeae - about 45 µm
Amphora
Amphora - about 45 µm
Amphora
Amphora - about 60 µm
Rhopalodia
Rhopalodia - about 90 µm
Rhopalodia
Rhopalodia - about 115 µm
Cymatopleura
Cymatopleura - about 120 µm

Kingdom Protozoa
…Phylum Euglenozoa

Lepocinclis
Lepocinclis - about 155 µm

Kingdom Animalia
…Phylum Gnathifera – rotifers & allies

Colurella
Colurella - body about 55 µm
Ploima
Ploima - body about 65 µm
Ploima
Ploima - body about 90 µm
Ploima
Ploima - body about 85 µm
Ploima
Ploima - body about 85 µm
Ploima
Ploima - body about 150 µm
Ploima
Ploima - about 165 µm
Ploima
Ploima - about 180 µm
Ploima
Ploima - about 150 µm
Ploima
Ploima - about 165 µm
Ploima
Ploima - about 100 µm

…Phylum Gastrotricha

Chaetonotid
Chaetonotidae - about 65 µm

…Phylum Nematoda – roundworms

Roundworm
Nematoda - about 8 µm wide

…Phylum Arthropoda – insects, crustaceans & allies

Midge larva
Chironomidae, larva - about 40-50 µm wide

Uncertain objects

Unknown
Lens-shaped flagellates - about 12 µm
Unknown
Red flagellate - about 16 µm