Early Spring in the Turtle Pond.

Zico. March 28, 2022.

There was still ice on the edges of the pond when the filamentous algae in which this specimen was found was collected. The algae was placed in warmer water at home for several days. However, the cold water didn't bother the Sierra newts who were beginning to congregate on the bottom of the pond for their yearly "romance". The specimen is the colonial green algae, Volvox. It is studied as a model of the transition from unicellularity to multicellularity. The green spheres within the main body are daughter colonies. This wonderful organism was first observed by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek.