During Wednesday's botany lab, we set up our MicroAquariums and chose our aquarium's water source. I decided to go with the second source, "French Broad River, Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge*." Boring, perhaps, compared to some of the others, such as the water from the flooded cemetery or the bird bath. We also placed into the aquarium a few sprigs of two plants.
The two plants we added:
Plant A. Amblystegium varium (Hedw.) Lindb. Moss. Collection from: Natural spring. at Carters Mill Park, Carter Mill Road, Knox Co. TN. Partial shade exposure. N36 01.168 W83 42.832. 10/11/2009
Plant B. Utricularia vulgaris L. Flowering Plant. A carnivous plant. Original material from south shore of Spain Lake (N 35o55 12.35" W088o20' 47.00), Camp Bella Air Rd. East of Sparta Tn. in White Co. and grown in water tanks outside of greenhouse at Hesler Biology Building. The University of Tennessee. Knox Co. Knoxville TN.
In other words, one plant to feed the micro organisms in out aquarium, and a plant to eat them. The carnivorous plant has little "bladders" along it that apparently eat the squiggly things squirming about our tanks. Very exciting stuff.
When we examined our aquariums, I noticed minuscule, worm-like, see-through critters swimming about. More than swimming, though, they were swirling and squiggling and jerking about crazily. It was very endearing. They seemed to be the biggest of the critters in the aquarium, that I saw. I also saw small "blobs" that sort of spun about in the water slowly and gracefully, making me think of a balloon with its string snipped off. Lastly, I saw tiny dots that wiggled around with some sort of purpose. They seemed to be inside the "bladders" of Plant B, as well in the open water of the aquarium, though I'm not exactly sure if they were the same things. Perhaps.
*For more detail: French Broad River, Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge, Kelly Lane , Knox Co. Tennessee. Partial shade exposure French Broad River Water Shed N35 56.742 W83 41.628 841 ft 10/11/2009
