To identify and distinguish between different micro-organisms.
Materials:
Microscope
Prepared Slides
Living Organisms
Amoeba
Amoebas are unicellular organisms which belong to the Kingdom Protista. Amoebas are usually found in the human digestive system, or sometimes on the bottom of freshwater areas. Amoebas have a fairly simple body structure. They are mostly cytoplasm, and have a nucleus and a few vacuoles. To eat, they can take food in anywhere on their body. To move, they form and extend a temporary appendage from their cytoplasm. These appendages are called pseudopodia. The scientific name, Chaos chaos, describes amoebas well, because they are constantly moving, and are rarely seen in the same position twice.
Euglena
Euglenas are a genus unicellular organisms which belong to the Kingdom Protista. There are over 100 species of Euglena in America. They live mostly in freshwater ponds and streams. Euglenas have an eyespot to be able to direct itself toward the light. Euglenas have a flagellum. This flagellum, rather than pushing the Euglena, pulls the Euglena through the water instead. They can change their shape, but they are usually spindle-shaped. Euglenas have chloroplasts , which gives them their green color. This also allows them to carry out photosynthesis.
Stentor
Sentor belongs to the kingdom Protista. It is a single-celled organism. Some can measure up to 2mm long. Stentor live in freshwater ponds and are most often found during the fall. This is because when leaves fall into the water, bacteria levels increase, and protists feed off of them. Stentor have a trumpet-like shape. When they are disturbed, they contract into an oval shape. Around the rim of the trumpet, the Stentor has many cillia. The cillia move at a rapid pace to bring food into the Stentor's mouth. Stentor are usually either blue, green, or amethyst in color.
Paramecium
Paramecium are unicellular organisms which belong to the Protist Kingdom. Paramecium are usually no bigger than a period typed in 12pt. Times New Roman font. They have cillia constantly moving around their mouth to bring in food. From there, the food goes into food vacuoles to get digested. Paramecium have a contractile vacuole to push out wastes and exess liquids. Paramecium have two different kinds of nuclei. The larger one, or the macronucleus, controls all metabolic activities in the cell, and the smaller nucleus, the micronucleus, controls reproduction.
Hydra
Hydras are a genus of multicellular organisms in the Kingdom, Animalia. There are about 20 to 30 species of Hydra. The hydra has cnidoycytes, or stinging cells, on them which help them in the capture of food. They can paralyze smaller organisms and then eat them. The waste exists through the same cavity in which it enters. Hydras have a vase-shaped body, and are radially symmetric. Hydra can produce either asexually or sexually. They can form smaller Hydras on themselves, which detach and become a new Hydra, or they can produce sperm and eggs, if the temperature is right. Hydras can measure up to about an inch long.
Planaria
Planaria are a genus of over 3,000 species in the Animal Kingdom. They are more commonly called flatworms. The planaria's body is shaped like an arrow. They have two eyespots on their triangular head, and their mouth is located on their underside. Their tail is also pointed. They move much like slugs or snails. Most species are 3mm to 15mm, but some can grow up to one foot in length. Planarians can be found alost anywhere, but they usually live in freshwater.
Nostoc Balls
Nostoc Balls is a more popular name for what is now called Cyanobacteria, and belong to the genus, Nostoc. They can range in size from very small, (microscopic) to approxamately the size of a peach pit, (or macroscopic.) They are usually black and sphere-shaped. They are connected to each other in a string, and sometimes may even look like a string of pearls. Cyanobacteria can stand a wide range of temperatures, from Antarctica to the hot springs in Yellowstone National Park. Some can produce oxygen through photsynthesis.
Oscillatoria
Oscillatoria are a multicellular bacteria. They are made up of a single strand of cells. This row of cells is called a trichome. Oscillatoria can move freely in the water forward, backward, or rotationally. Ocillatoria are usually either blue-green or yellow-brown. Oscillatoria, which are responsible for blue-green algae, produce toxins such as hepatotoxins and other kinds, which may irritate the skin. This usually comes into contact with humans through drinking water and the recreational use of streams and ponds. Hepatotoxins can greatly damage the liver, heart, lungs, and even cause death in animals. In humans, it is the blame of many getting very sick, but no deaths from it have been recorded.
Diatoms
Diatoms are any of over 16,000 species of Bacillariophyta. They are unicellular and colonial forms of algae. They do not have any specific form by which all of them go, but they all have very fine markings on them. They are usually transparent and they look like tiny diamonds or crystals. Although they are so small, they are one of the most important organisms in the food chain, since they are so far down on it. Fossilized diatoms also have many uses, such as paints and filters. They are also used to block out or keep in high temperatures and things like polishes and toothpaste.
Oedogonium
The genus Oedogonium is made up of species of unbranched green algae. There are usually a lot of chloroplasts in Oedogonium. There are round bulbs at seemingly random points on the strand. Oedogonium can produce sexually and vegitatively. The word Oedogonium comes from the Greek, Oedos, which means swelling, and also Greek, Gonos, or reproductive structure.
Spirogyra
Spirogyra are a green algae. There are more than 60 species of Spirogyra in the Netherlands alone, and over 400 in the whole world. Spirogyra have their green color due to chloroplasts. Cells in Spirogyra are different sizes because of cell reproduction. Spirogyra can reproduce sexually. They usually reproduce between mid-May and mid-June. When two Spirogyra attatch to each other, the contents of one of the cells will be released into another from the other Spirogyra.
Volvox
Most microscopists agree that Volvox are by far the most beautiful type of algae to look at. Volvox are colonies of green cells latched onto a hollow, transparent ball of mucilage. Each of these cells have a flagellum, and they all co-operate for the colony to propel themselves through the water. Volvox are usually only 500µ, but sometimes, these colonies can reach up to 1mm in diameter and become macroscopic, or visible to the naked eye. There are usually daughter cells visible on the inside of the Volvox, and very rarely are there daughter cells inside of the daughter cells. The Volvox's predator is the Rotifer. Rotifers break open the sphere and eat the Volvox one cell at a time.
Conclusion
These organims may be small, and many even microscopic, but they are different in so many ways. They are kingdoms apart. Yet, some of them are similar, despite of the great seperation between the Kingdoms. Oscillatoria and Spirogyra are quite similar in looks. Diatoms and Oedogonium seem like they're from different worlds. It all depends on one's veiwpoint, and one really should not compare or contrast any two of these. But I suppose that is just my opinion.
All words and stuffs were made by me. So... give me credit for it. Also, I made the images competely from scratch, so they're mine!
