Microlife: Spring puddle in field

Apr 28-29, 2019
Previous sample

This was from a broad pool in a grassy field. The day before everything had been carpeted by a late snow storm, filling the margins with greyish slush and now melting. Some of the fairly clear water near the edge was taken along with strands of grass, which were still dead and brown from last year.

Puddle
Mallards

The settled debris was rich in algae, especially globular colonies, gliding diatoms, and flagellates like Phacus, Cryptomonas, and Lepocinclis among others. There were also a reasonable number of amoebae like Arcellidae, Acanthocystis, and some unanchored Clathrulina, feeding on many tinier moving cells.

The main ciliates were large sessilids, most staying in place but with posterior cilia and no visible stalk. Rotifers like Lepadella were common, and even more so were copepods and their larvae, found throughout the sample. Larger animals included a few water scavenger beetles and a pond snail.

↬ Thanks to protistologist Dr. Ferry Siemensma, author of Microworld: world of amoeboid organisms, for the identification of Acanthocystis and to phycologist Roman Romanov for the identification of Woronichinia naegeliana, young Nostocales colonies (Nostoc in the traditional sense), and Lamprocystis roseopersicina.

Kingdom Bacteria
…Phylum Cyanobacteria – blue-green algae

Woronichinia naegeliana
Woronichinia - colony about 150 µm
Nostocales
Nostocales - about 6-9 µm wide
Nostocales
Nostocales - sections about 25-35 µm
Nostocales
Nostocales - clumps about 65, 185 µm
Nostocales
Nostocales - sections about 55-70 µm

…Phylum Proteobacteria – purple bacteria & allies

Lamprocystis roseopercisina
Lamprocystis - colony about 45 µm

Kingdom Plantae
…Phylum Chlorophyta – green algae

Chlorophyte
Chlorophyta - cells about 11-12 µm
Chlorophyte
Chlorophyta - about 11 µm wide
Pandorina
Pandorina - colony about 50 µm

Kingdom Chromista
…Phylum Cryptista

Cryptomonas
Cryptomonas - about 35 µm

…Phylum Haptista

Acanthocystis
Acanthocystis - body about 35 µm
Acanthocystis
Acanthocystis - body about 40 µm
Acanthocystis
Acanthocystis - body about 45 µm

…Phylum Cercozoa

Clathrulina
Clathrulina elegans - capsules about 60, 70 µm
Clathrulina
Clathrulina elegans - capsule about 60 µm
Euglyphida, Arcellinida
Euglyphida shell, Arcellinida - shells about 50 µm

…Phylum Ciliophora – ciliates

Stentor
Stentor - about 280 µm
Ciliate
Ciliophora - about 125 µm
Sessilid
Sessilida - front about 95 µm wide
Sessilid
Sessilida - about 155 µm
Sessilid
Sessilida - about 180 µm
Vorticellid
Vorticellidae - body about 30 µm

…Phylum Miozoa

Dinoflagellate
Peridinea - about 50 µm

…Phylum Ochrophyta – heterokont algae

Mallomonas
Mallomonas - about 80 µm
Dinobryon
Dinobryon - cells about 20-25 µm
Diatoms
Diatomeae - about 80 µm
Diatom
Diatomeae - about 110 µm

Kingdom Protozoa
…Phylum Euglenozoa

Anisonema
Anisonema - body about 30 µm
Lepocinclis
Lepocinclis - about 115 µm
Phacus
Phacus - about 35 µm
Euglenid
Euglenida - about 60 µm
Euglenid
Euglenida - about 95 µm
Euglenid
Euglenida - about 45 µm
Euglenid
Trachelomonas - about 22 µm

…Phylum Amoebozoa

Amoebozoa
Amoebozoa - about 140 µm
Arcellinida
Arcellinida - shell about 45 µm
Arcellinida
Arcellinida - about 85 µm
Arcellid
Arcellidae - shell about 60 µm
Arcellid
Arcellidae - about 100 µm
Arcellid
Arcellidae - about 130 µm
Arcellinida
Arcellinida - about 65 µm
Arcellinid
Arcellinida - shell about 80 µm

Kingdom Animalia
…Phylum Gnathifera – rotifers & allies

Bdelloid
Bdelloidea - about 190 µm
Rotaria
Rotaria - about 520 µm
Colurella
Colurella - body about 85 µm
Lepadella
Lepadella - about 135 µm
Ploima
Ploima - body about 80 µm
Lecane
Lecane - body about 85 µm
Lecane
Lecane - body about 150 µm

…Phylum Gastrotricha

Chaetonotid
Chaetonotidae - about 95 µm

…Phylum Annelida – segmented worms

Aeolosoma
Aeolosoma - about 55-75 µm wide

…Phylum Arthropoda – insects, crustaceans & allies

Cyclopoid
Cyclopoida - body about 340 µm
Cyclopoid
Cyclopoida - body about 680 µm
Copepod larva
Copepoda, larva - body about 80 µm
Copepod larva
Copepoda, larva - body about 240 µm

Uncertain objects

Unknown
Non-motile ring - colony about 45 µm
Unknown
Non-motile clump - colony about 75 µm
Unknown
Spore-like group - about 11-18 µm