MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

This article is really interesting. Amazing really. The only thing I don’t agree with is the author refers to rotifers as insignificant.

https://phys.org/news/2016-04-sexual-re ... genes.html

Very interesting article, Sauerkraut. The fact that they can dry up for years and then come alive again, when hydrated, is unbelievable. I found this guy in one of my overwatered plants the other day. Cheer! -Norm

Very nice, detailed image. I’m interested in finding a dried up rotifer at some point to see what it looks like.

It’s also amazing that they can snag DNA from other species and integrate it into their DNA in the correct place. So many questions about that process come to mind.

So far rotifers are my favorite to watch but that could in part be because they are easy to find and sometimes hold still.

Those buggers are for sure quick. I had to put a cover glass on top to slow him down. I could have taken a piece of paper towel to draw some of the water out from the slide to further slow him down. Cheers! -Norm

That's funny. I actually had one rotifer that escaped out from under the cover slip and swam around in the free water at the edge for a while.

I recently ordered a stain kit and it came with copper acetate and copper sulfate solutions. Supposedly a drop of these will slow down fast moving ciliates, though I haven't tried them yet.

Good to know, Sauerkraut. Let us know how it works and if you can post some pics, that would be all the better. Cheers! -Norm

Sauerkraut wrote:That's funny. I actually had one rotifer that escaped out from under the cover slip and swam around in the free water at the edge for a while.

I recently ordered a stain kit and it came with copper acetate and copper sulfate solutions. Supposedly a drop of these will slow down fast moving ciliates, though I haven't tried them yet.

Hello,

@norm

I found this guy in one of my overwatered plants the other day.

This is not a rotifer, probably Isotoma viridis.


Cheers,
Hans