A Badly Damaged Testate Amoebae Lives On

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 11:38 am

One of the most amazing things I have seen to date. This Testate Amoeba, an Arcella I think, has massive head damage. You can see right inside his skull, yet he is active and eating.

A couple minutes into the video, he expells a large amount of either food or himself, then you can see his psuedopods scooting him exit, stage left. He then goes on to ingest another big glob of pond scum.

Amazing what you can find under a coverglass.

Here's a video of him too.

Ernst Hippe · Post by **Ernst Hippe** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 12:02 am

Hallo Mitch,
very interesting shots, especially the film! But I can't see any damage at the shell...
Regards Ernst

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 3:10 am

Hi Earnst. Isn't the jagged line in the last two stills a broken away part of the shell? The view looks down through the donut shape of the test and out the bottom opening. In the first shot, it's turned so you can't see straight through and out the bottom. Maybe he has a sunroof in the shell?

Here is a different view that may show it better.

Ernst Hippe · Post by **Ernst Hippe** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 9:03 am

O yes,I see it now!

Franz Neidl · Post by **Franz Neidl** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 9:44 am

I thing the shell is not damaged, but what you see is simply the shape of the cell. Maybe I am wrong...

Franz

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 10:03 am

Thanks Franz. It is hard to tell, even looking through the eyepieces. I have never seen one with the hole, that was alive though.

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 10:06 am

I agree with Franz. In the movie, the shell rotates into enough different positions that I am pretty sure its shape is intact. I think that what Mitch has outlined is internal structure, seen as an optical cross-section by looking through the shell and focusing on a plane in the middle.

--Rik

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 10:12 am

I can't wait to get some better lenses. While not great, these images are better than the screen view from the video camera.

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 10:33 am

If you don't mind having to salivate, take a look at a couple of Charles Krebs' images of Arcella:
http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... php?t=6326
http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... .php?t=504 (from clear back in 2006!)

--Rik

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 10:37 am

Ha, I know. His stuff is so good, something to inspire. I think his lenses cost more than my whole microscope. LOL

I am using slides that I have put 4 dots of nail polish on to raise the coverglass, so they don't crush some of these things, and I just bought a dozen depression slides that really help with the bigger animals.

I have to say, I haven't had so much fun in years.