Two ciliates inside a dead rotifer

[Wes]

Polarization interference contrast (40x Pol. Int. II)

[KD Arvidsson]

An amazing video Wes It is fluorescent or polarized?

[Wes]

Thanks KD!

The contrast method is based on polarization. A polarized light beam of white light is split into two parallel rays, one of which passes through the specimen and the other passing through the medium adjacent to the specimen. Then the two beams are recombined and wavelengths equal to the phase shift between the two beams destructively interfere with each other giving rise to white light minus that wavelength (i.e. the color that you see).

[KD Arvidsson]

Thanks KD!

The contrast method is based on polarization. A polarized light beam of white light is split into two parallel rays, one of which passes through the specimen and the other passing through the medium adjacent to the specimen. Then the two beams are recombined and wavelengths equal to the phase shift between the two beams destructively interfere with each other giving rise to white light minus that wavelength (i.e. the color that you see).

Thanks for explanation Wes, Again very very beautiful //KD

[DonSchaeffer]

Wow. Spectacular color.

[Wes]

Thanks Don

[Bruce Taylor]

What an amazing technique. Psychedelic Tetrahymena! I'm dazzled.

[Wes]

Thank you very much for the ID Bruce.

From my brief search Tetrahymena rostrata seems to be commonly found in dead rotifers. Is this common for other Tetrahymena species as well.

[Bruce Taylor]

Thank you very much for the ID Bruce.

From my brief search Tetrahymena rostrata seems to be commonly found in dead rotifers. Is this common for other Tetrahymena species as well.

Yes, many Tetrahymena species are at least somewhat "histophagous", which is to say they eat tissues of dead or failing organisms. I wouldn't attempt to identify these little guys below genus, since morphological differences between species are too subtle.

[charlie g]

Thanks wes for this 'andy warhol treatment of protozoa recyclers ' within the shells of dead meioforma'...often times even active and mobile diatoms clusters about 'dead meioforma bodies'.

A good thing to do on open space/outdoor collection hikes...is to have a few small vials to collect dead insects, dead snails, dead crusteaceans ...these are sites of incredible specific protozoa, flatworms, ( flatworms are meiofauna), or specific diatoms.

I suggest you do simple trials of these 'baits' for rich microscopy of protozoa, other protists, meiofauna, and huge bacteria ...all feasting/ all in a sense recycleing the dead organisms. On a stream or pond collection hike..always have a small sample vial for that encountered: dead fish, dead crustecean, dead snail, or dead insect...wonderful protozoa will be observed!

The joy of observing huge bacteria with 60X, or oil-100X objectives is most rewarded by collecting dead insects/ or dead fish, / or dead meiofauna..that is rotifers, or water fleas.

thanks for your shared microscopy, wes.

[Wes]

Thank you very much for the ID Bruce.

From my brief search Tetrahymena rostrata seems to be commonly found in dead rotifers. Is this common for other Tetrahymena species as well.

Yes, many Tetrahymena species are at least somewhat "histophagous", which is to say they eat tissues of dead or failing organisms. I wouldn't attempt to identify these little guys below genus, since morphological differences between species are too subtle.

A good thing to do on open space/outdoor collection hikes...is to have a few small vials to collect dead insects, dead snails, dead crusteaceans ...these are sites of incredible specific protozoa, flatworms, ( flatworms are meiofauna), or specific diatoms.

Thank you Bruce and Charlie for the information and comments. I will collect some decaying remains of aquatic invertebrates next time I go to the park.