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This a freshwater ostracod taken from our small aquarium. Ostracods are small crustaceans (like crabs, shrimp, etc..) but they are a bit unusual in that they have a bivalve shell similar to clams and oysters. For some reason these little buggers are becomming more and more fascinating to me. Tammy thinks I may be nuts though.
As we consolidated two tanks into one, my chief concern was with the shrimp (a species of freshwater/marsh shimp) and the ostracods. The ostracods have only ever shown up in the smaller tank for some reason. I collected at least 250 ostracod, leaving behind sevral hundred more, before we broke down the smaller tank.
While adding the ostracods to the larger tank we all were able to get a good demonstration of the strengh and value of the ostracod shell. The larger tank is home to some tetras and corydora catfish. As I put the ostracods in with a pipette, several of the fish tried to eat the ostracod. They chewed and chomped, then spit the ostracod back out into the water column, then tried again. Finally all the fish gave up, spitting the ostracods out one final time. The shells appeared to be clasped tightly together, no appendages hanging out, but otherwise appeared unharmed. After hitting the sand, the ostracod remained motionless for about 20 seconds. Suddenly, one at a time, they began swimming, in a their characteristic drunken motion, off the sand and found refuge on a piece of submerged driftwood.
The ostracod population in the tank is highly cyclical. For about 6-8 months out of the year they are abundant, grazing on microscopic algae on the glass, plants, wood features and in the upper layer of the soil. Then suddenly there will be none visible anywhere. It makes me think that they came originally from a vernal pool. One piece of wood in th tank came from a vernal pool area and is a likely candidate as "invasion" vector.
Truth be told though, I don't mind this invasion at all.
You can find out more about ostracods including their bioluminescent dances and their connection to the Nobel Prize, (truly fascinating buggers, very important to paleontology too) at:
Attendees of all ages were captivated by the exhibits at this year's Marine Life Day. Photo by Susan Maples/VIMS.
Incredible gift from Pooja's grandfather . . . his company, Labomed, manufactures and sells microscopes for academic and medical professionals.
This microscope illuminates from above instead of below, which offers a big advantage: the objects being studied don’t have to be prepared in ultra-thin slices. Kids can simply aim the incident light microscope at anything that catches their fancy—articles of clothing, toys, plants, even their own skin. The 50x enlargement delivered thereby provides astounding new impressions and insights.
Credit: Martin Hieslmair
This group’s quest landed them at the electron microscopy lab, where a researcher showed students how to use a scanning electron microscope. FWRI harmful algal bloom researchers use these powerful microscopes to magnify tiny marine organisms up to 50,000 times.
0227-21
An interesting look at everyday things.
I bought a cheap USB powered Microscope and then started exploring. Some of the images were very unexpected so I thought I would post a few.
2015
While my main camera is in the shop, it's a good time to take advantage of the almost-identical diameters of my pocket Olympus Stylus 800 lense housing and my microscope oculars. A nice length of electrical tape provide a functional interface. Here I decided to examine both sides of a bi-colored feather I found. I illuminated feather edges at 40X with light sources from the front and back. The main quill (the "rachis")branches out with another sturdy limb (the "barbs") before further branching into the tiny soft branches (the "barbules"). (Um, I had to look up those terms...) The colors on this feather are on the hard components only. OK. Move along; nothing more to see here...
0227-39
An interesting look at everyday things.
I bought a cheap USB powered Microscope and then started exploring. Some of the images were very unexpected so I thought I would post a few.
Australian $1 at 500x. you can see pit marks.
2015