Microlife: Weaselhead Flats - Poplar down from pond

May 26-28, 2018
Previous sample

At this point poplars were releasing their hairy seeds, carried by wind and blanketing most of the woods in white down. In the beaver pond there was as yet little vegetation, but in places these hairs combined with pine pollen to form floating brown scums of particles to lumps, which were collected with some water.

This was very rich in small diatoms and in ciliates, especially Stylonychia and other crawling spirotrichs, vorticellids, and to some extent Frontonia. A number of types were particularly associated with yellowish films, which formed after the first day when most of the down itself had sank to the bottom.

Rotifers were very abundant too, most notably small Ploima resembling Cephalodella along with some Euchlanis, Lepadella, and so on. Arcellids and euglenoids were also fairly common. Larger animals included cyclopoids and Simocephalus among others; the pond itself also had ramshorn and pond snails.

↬ Thanks to Bruce Taylor, author of It Came from the Pond, for the identification of Amphileptus.

Kingdom Bacteria
…Phylum Cyanobacteria – blue-green algae

Cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria - about 17 µm wide
Merismopedia, diatom
Merismopedia, Diatomeae - about 18, 50 µm
Cyanobacteria
Cyanobacteria, Diatomeae - about 60, 25-85 µm
Cyanobacteria, diatom
Cyanobacteria, Diatomeae - about 5 µm wide

…Phylum Proteobacteria – purple bacteria & allies

Proteobacteria
Proteobacteria - axis about 16 µm

Kingdom Plantae
…Phylum Chlorophyta – green algae

Chlorophyte
Chlorophyta - about 6 µm wide
Scenedesmaceae, diatoms
Scenedesmaceae, Diatomeae - about 15, 10-60 µm
Chlorophyte dividing
Chlorophyceae, dividing? - clusters about 18-24 µm
Mougeotia
Mougeotia - about 23 µm wide
Zygnema
Zygnema - about 30 µm wide
Spirogyra
Spirogyra - about 12 µm wide
Spirogyra
Spirogyra - about 25 µm wide

…Phylum Tracheophyta – vascular plants

Pine and spruce pollen
Pinus and Picea, pollen - about 75-95, 115 µm
Poplar seed hair
Populus, seed hair - strands up to 18 µm wide

Kingdom Chromista
…Phylum Ciliophora – ciliates

Blepharisma
Blepharisma - about 95 µm
Stentor
Stentor - front about 140 µm wide
Stentor
Stentor - front about 220 µm wide
Litostome
Amphileptus - about 270 µm
Pleurostome
Pleurostomatida - about 45 µm
Pleurostome
Pleurostomatida - about 75 µm
Pleurostome
Pleurostomatida - about 110 µm
Ciliate
Ciliophora - about 70 µm
Ciliate
Ciliophora - about 90 µm
Ciliates
Ciliophora - about 23, 40 µm
Aspidisca, diatoms
Aspidisca, Diatomeae - about 35, 25-45 µm
Spirotrich
Spirotrichea - about 60 µm
Strobilidium
Strobilidium - about 55 µm
Holosticha
Holosticha - about 80 µm
Halteria
Halteria - about 26 µm
Spirotrich
Spirotrichea - about 80 µm
Spirotrich
Spirotrichea - about 60 µm
Spirotrichs
Spirotrichea - about 55, 75 µm
Spirotrich
Spirotrichea - about 90 µm
Stylonychia
Stylonychia - body about 75 µm
Stylonychia
Stylonychia - body about 110 µm
Ciliate
Ciliophora - about 85 µm
Ciliate
Ciliophora - about 75 µm
Phyllopharyngea
Phyllopharyngea - about 55 µm
Phyllopharyngea
Phyllopharyngea - about 70 µm
Phyllopharyngea
Phyllopharyngea - about 80 µm
Ciliates
Ciliophora - about 24, 27 µm
Ciliate
Ciliophora - about 105 µm
Frontonia
Frontonia - about 95 µm
Paramecium
Paramecium - about 190 µm
Sessilid
Sessilida - about 65 µm
Sessilid
Sessilida - about 90 µm
Sessilid
Sessilida - body about 45 µm
Vorticellids
Vorticellidae - body about 50 µm
Vorticellid
Vorticellidae - body about 60 µm
Vorticellids
Vorticellidae - bodies about 55, 65 µm
Vorticellid
Vorticellidae - body about 80 µm
Vorticellids
Vorticellidae - bodies about 90, 105 µm

…Phylum Miozoa

Dinoflagellate
Peridinea - about 55 µm

…Phylum Ochrophyta – heterokont algae

Dinobryon
Dinobryon - cells about 14-17 µm
Diatoms
Diatomeae - about 40 µm
Diatoms
Diatomeae - about 30-45 µm
Diatoms
Diatomeae - about 24-85, 115 µm
Diatoms
Diatomeae - to about 70 µm
Diatom
Diatomeae - about 215 µm
Nitzschia
Nitzschia - about 135 µm
Gyrosigma
Gyrosigma - about 120 µm
Diatoms
Diatomeae - about 30 µm
Diatoms
Diatomeae - about 25-40 µm
Diatom
Diatomeae - about 70 µm
Diatoms
Diatomeae - about 30-35, 75 µm
Cymbella
Cymbella - about 90 µm
Diatoms
Diatomeae - about 35, 65 µm
Diatom
Diatomeae - about 100 µm
Diatom
Diatomeae - about 150 µm
Rhopalodia
Rhopalodia - about 60 µm

Kingdom Protozoa
…Phylum Euglenozoa

Peranemid
Peranemidae - body about 30 µm
Peranemid
Peranemidae - body about 55 µm
Euglenid
Euglenida - about 85 µm
Trachelomonas
Trachelomonas - about 25 µm
Trachelomonas
Trachelomonas - about 35 µm

…Phylum Amoebozoa

Thecamoeba
Thecamoeba - about 70 µm
Amoebozoa
Amoebozoa - about 80 µm
Tubulinea
Tubulinea - about 35 µm
Tubulinea
Tubulinea - about 60 µm
Arcellid
Arcellidae - about 55 µm
Arcellid
Arcellidae - about 70 µm
Arcellid
Arcellidae - shell about 120 µm
Arcellid
Arcellidae - shell about 120 µm

Kingdom Animalia
…Phylum Gnathifera – rotifers & allies

Besides the types pictured here there was also an Adineta.

Rotaria
Rotaria - about 475 µm
Bdelloidea
Bdelloidea - about 315 µm
Squatinella
Squatinella - about 180 µm
Lepadella
Lepadella - about 120 µm
Lepadella
Lepadella - about 130 µm
Ploima
Ploima - about 185 µm
Ploima
Ploima - about 240 µm
Ploima
Ploima - about 85 µm
Ploima
Ploima - bodies about 75 µm
Euchlanis
Euchlanis - about 220 µm
Euchlanis
Euchlanis - about 410 µm
Trichotria
Trichotria - body and foot about 210 µm
Brachionus
Brachionus with egg - about 195 µm wide
Keratella
Keratella - about 100 µm wide

…Phylum Gastrotricha

Chaetonotid
Chaetonotidae - about 120 µm
Chaetonotus
Chaetonotus - about 105 µm

…Phylum Platyhelminthes – flatworms

Dalyelliid
Dalyelliidae - about 1.0 mm
Flatworm
Platyhelminthes - about 4.0 mm

…Phylum Nematoda – roundworms

Roundworm
Nematoda - about 190 µm
Roundworm
Nematoda - about 370 µm
Roundworm
Nematoda - about 1.6 mm

…Phylum Arthropoda – insects, crustaceans & allies

Mite
Acariformes - body about 610 µm
Podocopid
Podocopida - body about 150 µm
Cyclopoid
Cyclopoida - body about 245 µm
Cyclopoid
Cyclopoida - body about 375 µm
Cyclopoid
Cyclopoida - body about 840 µm
Copepod larva
Copepoda, larva - body about 80 µm
Copepod larva
Copepoda, larva - body about 185 µm
Copepod larva
Copepoda, larva - body about 240 µm
Amphipod
Amphipoda - back spans about 6.0 mm
Simocephalus
Simocephalus with young - body about 1.5 mm
Midge larva
Chironomidae, larva - about 210 µm wide

Uncertain objects

Unknown
Heliozoan-like - body about 30 µm