MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Hello All,

I have been a microscopist for nearly 40 years. I trained under Dr. Walter C. McCrone, the father of Modern Microscopy. I started my career doing particle and fiber identifications of environmental issues. Later, I returned to school to get a Masters in Wildlife Biology and my Ph.D. concentration is Moose Winter Foraging and Microhistology. I am the author of the book "Microhistological Atlas of Greater Yellowstone Moose Browse". I look forward to sharing and learning from you all.

Welcome to the forum. You have quite an impressive resume!

Welcome to the forum. Lots of friendly people here.

I look forward to sharing and learning from you all.

Welcome. I expect the sharing and learning will be a two way street.

Hi Moose,

Welcome aboard!.. Dr. Walter C. McCrone is well known and respected.. We look forward to learn from your expertise!..


Best Regards,
BillT

Thanks all, I have enjoyed reading hundreds of posts on this forum today. It is nice to find a place with similar minds that share a love of the micro world.

Welcome to forum, moose...you reside in a wonderful part of 'the lower forty eight'. Thanks for the broad sketch of your career path, and the microscopy in your vocational life.

We all cheer any shared microscopy you may have time to post, moose. I've always been interested in freshwater biology,wetlands,temporary waters, still waters and stream water.

Can we 'google' your text, or related microscopy informed works? Charlie Guevara, fingerlakes/US

Charlie G.;

My book is not likely to be in any library or even on much of google, it is so specialized that I have sold nine copies. I am pretty sure most of those copies were purchased as mistakes by someone thinking it would have pretty moose pictures or something. It is on amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Microhistologica ... ohistology); as I say, it is very specialized but I wrote it to get the information into the scientific community for use by microhistologist (those that study animal feces with a microscope). I am in the process of expanding that book into multiple volumes covering other animals and other areas of the country.

I love the Tetons but I am here to expand my book and for my wildlife photography. I finance my microscope studies with my photography. If you know a bit about prof. wildlife photography, then you know that is a real oxymoron as few make much in wildlife photography and certainly not enough to finance another passion. Nevertheless, I live a very simple life. If you wish to see my photos, look at http://www.moosehenderson.com.

I do plan to pen a couple articles for the journal, in my spare time

Moose,

Have you ever recovered ciliates from moose fecal matters?

In guts of animals that digest plant fibers, such as those of earth worm and termites, one can usually find lots of interesting ciliates. I don't know if those ciliates can survive, after feces are dry though.

What microbes did you examine, when you did your PhD, from moose feces?

Do you have DIC for your BHS? I heard PZO DIC scope can use Olympus BH2 trinocular head.

zzffnn;

The fecal pellets are cleared in HCl, washed, filtered to 200 microns and such, doubt any small critters would be large enough to not be filtered out in our procedures.

I do not have DIC, only brightfield, polarized light (PLM), darkfield and Rheinberg.

Yes, my primary area of study is moose foraging so most of my experience is with moose pellets. I am making microhistological atlases of pressed plants, mostly just epidermis of leaves as that is what survives the digestive process. Stem fibers also survive but I am not working with them yet. I am also working on epidermal cover of berries, drupes, pomes, etc to see if we can identify them in fecal samples (such as bear feces).

All;

I have enjoyed reading the posts on this board. I have been at microscopy for so long I forgot that is can be fun. You all have encouraged me to do some fun projects (pond water, etc) in addition to my regular research. I ordered an Omax 5 mp USB camera that will arrive on Monday, looking forward to seeing if it is worth keeping. I have a Canon 5DMk4 that I could mount to the scope with adapters but I wanted to try the Omax first. I have previous experience with a Motic 3 mp USB camera that did a good job.

I am curious why you have darkfield / Rheinberg but not phase contrast. Phase contrast is pretty good with fibers, better than darkfield/Rheinberg, I would guess.

Most forum people prefer DSLR over USB cameras, once vibration is removed.

zzffnn wrote:I am curious why you have darkfield / Rheinberg but not phase contrast. Phase contrast is pretty good with fibers, better than darkfield/Rheinberg, I would guess.

Most forum people prefer DSLR over USB cameras, once vibration is removed.

Darkfield and Rheinberg came with the scope when I purchased it. They are fun attachments. I am not a fan of PCM, much prefer PLM for fiber microscopy with red compensator. My scope is not a true PLM as do not have the rotating stage but I am only doing qualitative work.

I purchase the USB camera through amazon so will be easy to return, if it does not do a good job. I have a trinocular head so fitting the DSLR will not be big effort. I understand the new mirrorless cameras are a better to help reduce vibration from shutter curtain movement. Mirror of my 5DMk4 can be locked up so not a problem.

Thanks for the links to your work,moose. I did,nt realize vascular plants and bryophytes and leichens are sometimes affiliated with the word: microhistology...live and learn! I sense 'microhistology' is a needless term..as: histology encompases the subject area ( unlike: gross anatomy and microanatomy/histology).

Can one do a plant survey of a area, a mooses range of habitats...than do a histologic seasonal study of a mooses 'stomachs linings' (fresh necropsy of dead moose at different seasons)....and see if correlations of diet with histologic adaption occurs? Friends of ours noted their sheeps gut lining changes with diet and time of year ( I seem to recall this!??).

Your drive and endurance in the studies you conduct are wonderful...I hope your funding remains...err..at various levels. I hope you never encounter a 'ghost moose'..one stressed near to death by the burden of ticks. Thanks for your important work, moose. Charlie Guevara, finger lakes,NY

charlie g wrote:Thanks for the links to your work,moose. I did,nt realize vascular plants and bryophytes and leichens are sometimes affiliated with the word: microhistology...live and learn! I sense 'microhistology' is a needless term..as: histology encompases the subject area ( unlike: gross anatomy and microanatomy/histology).

Can one do a plant survey of a area, a mooses range of habitats...than do a histologic seasonal study of a mooses 'stomachs linings' (fresh necropsy of dead moose at different seasons)....and see if correlations of diet with histologic adaption occurs? Friends of ours noted their sheeps gut lining changes with diet and time of year ( I seem to recall this!??).

Your drive and endurance in the studies you conduct are wonderful...I hope your funding remains...err..at various levels. I hope you never encounter a 'ghost moose'..one stressed near to death by the burden of ticks. Thanks for your important work, moose. Charlie Guevara, finger lakes,NY

Hi Charlie and thanks for the comments. Your are correct, all histology is micro but the term microhistology specifically refers to fecal pellet analysis. The type of studies you mention of rumen content has been conducted for many ungulates.

You say: "I hope your funding remains". I get no funding. I support myself with my wildlife photography. On average, I make approx $1-2,000 a month, so I live a very simple life but one of my choosing. That was not a misprint, one thousand to two thousand dollars a month (no gov assistance either, I do not believe in gov assistance for "able" people). I live in a tiny house (8.5 ft wide by 20 ft long) I built myself, I rent a space to place my house, I get energy from the sun and water from the creek, I dump my trash in a dumpster, etc. I take all measures to reduce expenses so that I may live the life I choose on my terms.