more about the marine ciliate Zoothamnium pelagicum

Franz Neidl · Post by **Franz Neidl** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 3:12 am

More about Zoothamnium pelagicum:
This protozoon has bacteria on its surface (epibiontic bacteria). I did'nt find any information about the nature of the bacteria from Z. pelagicum - if they are symbiontic ecc.
Zoothamnium pelagicum has also a differentiation between its cells: Macrozooids and (Micro)zooids. The macrozooids are capable of starting new colonies as swarmers. They have a big macronucleus (cfr. third picture!).
1.picture: Objective 20x, DIC.
2. picture: Objective 40x, DIC
3. picture: Objective 40x, DIC.

Franz

RogelioMoreno · Post by **RogelioMoreno** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 4:26 am

Franz,

Very nice!

Rogelio

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 5:11 am

Amazing photography Franz, as always. Very interesting images.

Wim van Egmond · Post by **Wim van Egmond** » Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:08 am

Very nice images, Franz! I have also seen them when I was on a trip on the sea (in 2009) and I was so surprised to see peritrichs in the middle of the Atlantic. They are about the archetype sessile organisms, don't you think?

Perhaps you are interested to see my pics http://beagle.vpro.nl/#/blog/item/2126/ (it is a bit of a chaotic webpage of the project)

They are simple images but that was because I did have a small microscope with me. It had to fit in my suitcase. :-)

Wim

Franz Neidl · Post by **Franz Neidl** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 2:19 pm

Hello Wim,

thank you very much for sharing your experience to find this peritrich in the middle of the Atlantic - in a travel with the Clipper "Stad Amsterdam" reconstructing the journey of Charles Darwin with the Beagle. It must be a dream for every photographer and/or biologist to participate in such an expedition.

Franz

Wim van Egmond · Post by **Wim van Egmond** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 1:32 am

Hello Franz,

Yes, it was a truely wonderful experience. But it was veyr hard to work on board of a ship that is constantly moving. When you looked through the microscope the images was swaying from one side to the other. And it was not possible to use a plankton net because it was sailing so fast. So I had to use buckets to get the water. And pour that through a plankton net. I had to build up my set up each morning and dismantle it in the afternoon so l had to work very hard to make as many images as possible. I will try to post some images later.

Wim