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Re:Microscope view of floating algae
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>
>From: cbay at jeppesen_com (Charlie Bay)
>Date: Tue, 3 Sep 1996 07:18:53 -0600 (MDT)
>Subject: Microscope on floating algae
..........<snipped>............ However, we found several
>different one-celled organisms, some very small worm-like
>?nematodes (tons of these), and some (relatively) huge
>eggs. Huge compared to a one-celled organism, that is.
>These are not visible (I think) with the naked eye, so they
>are certainly not fish eggs. I'm guessing snails?
Ramshorns definitely do not produce floating eggs. They attach their eggs
firmly to things. I believe that Malaysian trumpet snails are
live-bearers. If they are not visible to the naked eye, they are smaller
than some one-celled protozoans, such as Paramecium or Stentor which can be
seen with the naked eye. They might be encysted protozoans or fungal spores
instead of eggs. If they are eggs, you could set aside some of them in a
jar and see what hatches out. There is a small, shelled amoeba, Arcella, I
think, that might be confused with an egg. Often you see the yellow brown
shell with the hole in the bottom, and it could be mistaken for an egg,
because the hole could be mistaken for the yolk. The pseudopods of Arcella
are transparent and don't always extend beyond the shell so that they can
be seen.
Paul Krombholz Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS 39174
In much cooler Mississippi.