Peritrich day at the birdbath!

The root systems from the aquatic plants (duckweed) that I brought home from Tir na nOg this Summer and placed in the birdbath are still providing many interesting organisms. Today I was able to get a good video of the ciliary movement along the lip of the "cup" of a Vorticella. Then, I observed a colony of a second type of related organisms. The Peritrichs (peri: around; trich: hair) are cup-shaped ciliates that have cilia only around the lip of the cup. The most common type is Vorticella (vortex: whirlpool). There are other videos of Vorticella in previous postings. They are fascinating because they have have contractile stalks. The second type that I observed today was from genus Epistylis (Epi: upon; Stylos: pillar). The "stems" of Epistylis are not contractile and they are branched. Near the end of the video, note the protrusion of the cilia-bearing membranes. Another organism that I was able to observe was a developing embryo of some type. I don't know what type of organism this is. It is wonderful to me how the embryo rotates in the yolk sac. I remember encountering a similar embryo when I got my first microscope in junior high school. I was mesmerized by the motion. I still am! I don't understand why it should move in that way but it is wonderful to watch.

Epistylis. 100X

Vorticella. 400X

Epistylis. Dark Field.

Developing Embryo. Dark Field.