Apr 26-27, 2011
Next sample
Around this time most of the winter snow had disappeared, and though the deeper stormwater ponds were still frozen over, this shallower marshy area was completely melted. New plants had not come up yet, and there were only stands of brown cattails from last year, with long grass running down to them from the shore. However, there were already ducks, coots, and other birds, with water bugs and striders in the shallows.
The sample was especially rich the first day, with many ciliates, rotifers, and countless minute flagellates. The main ciliates were flat spirotrichs, Strobilidium, and fast round Monodinium and Askenasia, especially near the surface. Some vorticellids and bdelloids also occurred throughout.
On the other hand two sizes of Synchaeta were plentiful near the bottom, as well some Synura colonies. Other animals such as roundworms, cyclopoids, and especially ostracods were also more common here. Soon Daphnia began hatching from ephippia among the grass, and by the second day these arthropods dominated the sample.
↬ Thanks to protistologist Dr. Ferry Siemensma, author of Microworld: world of amoeboid organisms, for the identification of Trinema enchelys shells.
