Galvanotaxis of large ciliate with DIY DC electric slide..and earnest questions!

[charlie g]

Hi all...using a durable and thin glass cover from an old screen-mobile phone, I put the Spirostomum huge ciliates to directed swimming.

My very quick and dirty DIY electric field slide was a pain to plop on the stage..but with two configurations of the electrodes..it did encourage Spirostomum directed swimming (term this: galvanotaxis). Spirostum ciliates circled about the cathodic terminal electrode with the DC/D cell electric field source.

My sincere request for comments regards to how best to image capture these huge ciliates with crisp morphology and crisp ciliation patterns evident in live specimens? These large organisms for me are in an 'inbetween size range'..far too small for stereo scope image captures depicting their 'fields of ciliation beats'..the sort of ciliation 'fields of beats' so charming in stereo microscope images of Ctenophore small jelly-fish. Yet for me Spirostomum crisp details only manifest with 20X, 40X objectives..and sighh..then I only can image capture segments of these huge and delightful ciliates.

Has anyone a speculation on how to capture entire body form..yet with crisp details? I know this the exact argument for careful line drawings of organisms..one can detail structure with adept drawings..more informative than sigle image captures of a totally alive...and methycellulose slowed down...Spirostomum ciliate.

Would 'image-stiching' of a few image captures permit a sort of crisp detailed entire Spirostomum ciliate?

Thanks for any comments regards to these live organisms total body plan image capture methods.

charlie guevara

[charlie g]

The quick and dirty/ DIY DC electric field slide worked..but horridly awkward. The ciliates glad I took this device apart after the one session! charlie guevara

[charlie g]

Spirostomum swam towards the catode..and circled this area when the slide was activated. charlie guevara

[charlie g]

Cathodic galvanotaxis was evident for Spirostomum. charlie guevara

[charlie g]

The cathodic swiming. charlie guevara

[charlie g]

Body ciliation sort of like enjoyment of Westminster dog show...err..for me!

[charlie g]

Can an 'image-stich' program help for total body plan images with crisp details of these live ciliates?

[charlie g]

Here is the posterior end of this delightful ciliate!

[charlie g]

I gues one can 'image-stich' just about any collection of single image captures..could this ciliate be image stiched? charlie guevara

[billbillt]

Image stitching requires multiple images of different overlapping areas of the same subject.. See the attached link for more .....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_stitching

BillT

[mrsonchus]

I gues one can 'image-stich' just about any collection of single image captures..could this ciliate be image stiched? charlie guevara

Interesting work Mr G! For really quick & easy stitching, free - Microsoft's 'ICE' utility is superb - I use it for all my stitches.

Try this one Charlie, Microsoft's Image Composite Editor

This utility is blindingly fast and superbly accurate - give it the files and press GO!

[zzffnn]

Nice work, Charlie G!
The free Microsoft ICE software may work for you.

[charlie g]

Thank you all for the specific suggestions! As I delve into to this..I'll think of a favorite cartoon show on tellie of my sons childhod: "CatDog"! charlie guevara