Double mystery

Iainp · Post by **Iainp** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 1:38 am

As a relative newbie, every time I look at a drop of pond water through the microscope I see something that I haven't seen before and can't ID. On this occasion though, I saw 2 things in the same field of view.

There were hundreds of these organisms (less than 20 microns across?)

They are motile, and I thought they could be some kind of diatom. Then they all "leaked" something from the front:

This one seemed to grow in segments:

To add to my confusion, a strange "snake" came into view. I thought it might be a bacterium but it's too large.

Here's a short video of both. Any thoughts welcome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efaU2Y_qQ6c

olivier barth · Post by **olivier barth** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:09 am

Hi,
they are fungi spores, call "conidies".your second picture show germination.
best regards

Iainp · Post by **Iainp** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 2:52 am

Fantastic, cheers. That's another new one for me.

Tardigrade37 · Post by **Tardigrade37** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 6:43 pm

The "snake" is actually a bacterium - part of a group known as spirochaetes. A google search will provide you with more information regarding these organisms.
Chris

Iainp · Post by **Iainp** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 12:07 am

Ah I looked at the spirochaetes but the ones I saw on Youtube were much faster moving and a lot smaller so I discounted them. Thanks