Some creatures and crystals from a high ph pond.

phil m · Post by **phil m** » Thu Jul 16, 2015 2:00 pm

I collect some samples from a high ph pond, which rests in the bottom of a local cemetary. The water at this time of year is a very peculiar grey colour and very turbid, with numerous mats of spirogyra as well as more numerous mats of a blue green type of algae. Two swans have lived there for years.
The pond drains into a little creek, which empties into a bay off Lake Ontario in about a 1/2 mile.

The grey colour of the water appears to be due to a high proportion of some mineral crystals, likely a calcium based compound.
Crystaline compound, found routinely in the water. dark field Reichert 100x 1.32 planapo.

Small filamentous algae, attached to one of the crystal formations. dark field Reichert 100X 1.32 planapo.

Section of Spirogyra. dark field Reichert 100X 1.32 planapo

Clutch of what appear to be eggs, clinging to one of the crystal formations. anyone know what these are? dark field ,Reichert 100X 1.32 planapo.

A lone diatom . I liked the landscape inside this one.

carlos.uruguay · Post by **carlos.uruguay** » Thu Jul 16, 2015 6:16 pm

Nice pictures. The second, is not an algae. probably Beggiatoa sliding bacteria with sulfur inclusions

phil m · Post by **phil m** » Thu Jul 16, 2015 6:32 pm

Thank you for that i.d. I see these sometimes. Wondered about the inclusions. I never see colour, so I wondered about algae, identification..

phil m · Post by **phil m** » Fri Jul 17, 2015 5:04 am

carlos.uruguay wrote:Nice pictures. The second, is not an algae. probably Beggiatoa sliding bacteria with sulfur inclusions

This particular strand is about 3 times the diameter of the of the sliding bacteria in my i.d. post , you replied to. The other thing about them is, I have never seen them move. They either rest on the bottom or wave around , while clinging to something.

carlos.uruguay · Post by **carlos.uruguay** » Fri Jul 17, 2015 5:26 am

Can you take pictures or video in phase contrast?

phil m · Post by **phil m** » Fri Jul 17, 2015 6:25 am

I will try phase contrast. I've got a few different types, so something of the internal structure should show. These are small, though. I can do video but I have never uploaded video to anything, so I have to secure an account and such. I will get to that eventually.

phil m · Post by **phil m** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:42 am

Very difficult to go up from darkfield, with phase sometimes. One thing is, these can be really long.....many mm. Although, I say I have never seen them moving, they do exhibit a slow gliding or slipping movement. It is hard to tell, whether this is the result of motility, or the effect of agitation by external forces such as rotifers, or an advancing meniscus caused by drying down.
Here is what I have so far. Bright phase turned out to the best at 100x. The sample depth was a little on the thick side. I will try to do a thin smear and flatten some of these out so they aren't floating so much and the sample thickness is closer to .17.
40X bright phase. I think this is one filament

40X dark phase of same strand

100X bright phase. There does not seem to be any cell divisions, just inclusions.

carlos.uruguay · Post by **carlos.uruguay** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 6:14 am

Hi.
Interesting.
As you will be seen on the website that I quoted to you
There are many genres of sliding and filamentous bacterias
Here are just a few examples:
Beggiatoa:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0nmUTKLtMk
Flavobacterium:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BuVarYDurA

phil m · Post by **phil m** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 3:17 pm

There appear to be 5 species in the sample I took from the pond's outflow.

Two at least , similar to the shorter rod types in the first little clip. Those I would not exactly describe as gliding, although they do propel in that fashion sometimes. Mostly it is a jerking motion , which in certain circumstances it is collectively frantic, There seems to be a locus, around which the frantic movement never strays far from, in one case what appeared to be an agglutination of chlorophyl.
The longer gliding types are in 3 diameters. 1.5 mic. , about 2 and about 5 or so. Although the internal structure does contain random particles ( sulphur?) that iridesces in dark field and shows white in bright phase and dark in dark and B-Minus L phase, it is difficult to see cell divisions in the strands but these last pictures , appear to show them. Otherwise these would be bacterial cells up to a mm or more long.
Here are some more in phase, of one of the thicker ones about 300mic. long.