Under the 1/24 ice , mesocosm collection.

[charlie g]

Happy Earth Day, 2024...microscopy world views enrich our appreciation for fresh waters available to living things, to communities functions.

' the oceans contain virtually all of earth's free water. 2.5% of the earths water is frozen in ice, or sequestered as ground water. The water in lakes and rivers amounts to less than 0.01% of the water available to living things.'.

1993, "Air and Water, the Biology and Physics of Life's Media", Mark W. Denny, chap 2; pg 5.

'The mass of saltwater is more than 10,000 times the mass of inhabitable fresh water. Salt water covers about 71% of earth's surface, inland water covers less than 2% of earth's surface.' " The fresh waters of the world are hopelessly fragmented

into an enormus array of isolated habitats...ranging down to such restricted habitats as a stock tank completely isolated on our short grass plains, 10 km from it's nearest neighboring stock tank, or water hole, and dependant on a windmill

and well for it's source of water.

The small pond as an isolated microcosm is a neglected concept that was first emphasized a century ago in a classical paper by S. Forbes / 1887 : " The Lake as a Microcosm". 1989, "Fresh Water Invertebratesof the United States",

Robert W. Pennak, chap 1: pg 2

So these giants of fresh water biology/ ecology/ and yes..microscopy..these authors deem my stream/pond set up a 'microcosm'! Don't be daunted, fellow microscopists..for it was indeed in a salt water aquarium at " The Zoological Institute in

Graz, Austria, that german zoologist Franz Eilhard Schulze first discovered/ described the placozoan Trichoplax adhaerens...yes in a 'fish tank' ( call it a microcosom, call it what your prefer), Dr. Schulze encountered a totally new type

of 'animal organism'..deemed in 1971 : "Phylum Placozoa"...yes, yes, happy earth day microscopists...keenly respect our scant available fresh waters, charlie guevara/ fingerlakes, US

[charlie g]

Alas, the 1993 data on : 'earth frozen water'...the data on ground water..demands updates..updates are cause for all our global concern.

[charlie g]

Today (4/27/24) is the day after a brief nightime 20's degree F. frost. A simple slurp of an algae matt freshly sampled with wet mount slide revealed over five ( 5) assorted brown hydras, and green hydras..in the first wetmount slide prep.

With scissors I sniped a small segment of algae matt..teased the filaments gently apart on the slide with needle probes..dropped the large rectangular coverslip on the slide..and encountered these crafty, hunting freshwater Cnidarians.

I never read about freshwater hydras actively hunting within dense algae matts..tentacles usually illustrated ( thank you, Antonie van-L) dangling patiently in open waters.

But as I observed a few hydras sweeping tentacles about amongst the matt of algae filaments ..I observed both green hydras and brown hydras capture cladocerans with their tentacles.

Why do hydras sweep tentacles amongst the filaments of algae matts...I recalled 2/15/1933 famous bank robber Willie Sutton, when asked why he robbed banks. Willie simply replied: " Because that's where the money is.".

Well filamentous algae matts are where the cladocerans are. I hope we have no more frosts, all the best, charlie g.

[MichaelG.]

Excellent observation, charlie g … thanks for documenting it for us.

actively hunting

Let’s hope that Hydra stay small !

MichaelG.

[charlie g]

Hi, michaelG, Hope spring has reached north Wales by now. charlie g

[MichaelG.]

Hi, michaelG, Hope spring has reached north Wales by now. charlie g

It’s making a brave attempt, charlie g … but we keep getting days that are surprisingly chilly and windy

Here’s an encouraging snapshot from the hedgerow, taken today on my morning walk
.

IMG_9342.jpeg (206.71 KiB) Viewed 43 times

.

No photo-microscopy here at the moment … I am battling with Motic’s software

MichaelG.