Name:______
OBSERVING POND WATER PROTISTS and ANIMALS
Safety – wear gloves.
Prepare each organism for observation as instructed if you are the first observer.
Be sure to observe each organism for 2 – 3 minutes while completing your notes.
The last person at each station at the end of class will clean up each station as specified on the instruction card.
Do NOT wash any organism down the drain, wipe all slides with paper towel and then wash with soap and water and rinse.
Wash Your Hands with soap and water when you are done!
NameWrite the scientific name / Description
Describe colour, size, shape / Motion
Describe speed, direction, cilia, flagella, flowing cytoplasm / Sketch
On the diagram underline the parts you can see
1. Planaria /
Name
Write the scientific name / Description
Describe colour, size, shape / Motion
Describe speed, direction, cilia, flagella, flowing cytoplasm / Sketch
On the diagram underline the parts you can see
2. Vinegar Eels / - move super fast
- watch the screen carefully for a few minutes and you should see some flash past /
3. Amoeba /
Name
Write the scientific name / Description
Describe colour, size, shape / Motion
Describe speed, direction, cilia, flagella, flowing cytoplasm / Sketch
On the diagram underline the parts you can see
4. Hydra /
5. Paramecium /
Name
Write the scientific name / Description
Describe colour, size, shape / Motion
Describe speed, direction, cilia, flagella, flowing cytoplasm /
6. Daphnia
7. Euglena /
05 OBSERVING PROTISTS and animals.doc
Name:______
Station 1 - Brown Planaria
Species: tigrina
Genus: Hydra
Family: Hydridae
Order: Hydroida
Class: Hydrozoa
Phylum: Cnidaria
Kingdom: Animalia
Set up
- gently micropipette one planaria into the well of an immersion slide
- avoid using too much water, pipette water back into container
Observe
- observe at low power
- shut off the light when not observing to keep from overheating and killing the organism
Clean Up
- gently push the planaria back into the container if it is still alive
- wipe slide and cover slip dry
- throw paper towel in garbage
- wash slide with soap, rinse well
- return slide and cover slip to cart
- pack up microscope as instructed
Station 2 – Vinegar Eels
Species: aceti
Genus: Turbatrix
Family: Panagrolaimidae
Order: Rhabditida
Class: Secernentea
Phylum: Nematoda
Kingdom: Animalia
Set up
- Pipette from the bottom of the container
- put 2 drops on a slide and put the rest back in the container
- put a cover slip on the slide
- focus on low power
Observation
- observe on medium power, centre sample on slide
- observe on high power
- keep light turned off when not observing
Clean Up
- wipe slide and cover slip dry
- throw paper towel in garbage
- wash slide with soap, rinse well
- return slide and cover slip to cart
- pack up microscope as instructed
Station 3 – Ameoba
Species: proteus
Genus: Amoeba
Family: Amoebidae
Order: Labosa
Class: Protozoa
Phylum: Sarcomastigota
Kingdom: Protozoa
Set up
- gently micropipette 1-2 drops of liquid from the bottom of the container onto a slide
- put the rest back in the container
- place on a cover slip
Observation
- be sure to focus through all the dimensions of the ameoba on low power
- shut off the light when not observing to keep from overheating and killing the organism
- note there are paramecium and other amoeba food in the culture
Clean Up
- wipe slide and cover slip dry
- throw paper towel in garbage
- wash slide with soap, rinse well
- return slide and cover slip to cart
- pack up microscope as instructed
Station 4 – Hydra
Species: viridissima
Genus: Hydra
Family: Hydridae
Order: Hydroida
Class: Hydrozoa
Phylum: Cnidaria
Kingdom: Animalia
Set up
- they are stuck to the bottom of the container
- very gently poke one off the bottom and suck it up into a micropipette
- avoid using too much water
- put one onto a slide and cover with a slip
- avoid using too much water
Observation
- observe on low power
- shut off the light when not observing to keep from overheating and killing the organism
Clean Up
- wipe slide and cover slip dry
- throw paper towel in garbage
- wash slide with soap, rinse well
- return slide and cover slip to cart
- pack up microscope as instructed
Station 5 – Paramecium
Species: caudatum
Genus: Paramecium
Family: Parameciidae
Order: Hymenostomatida
Class: Ciliatea
Phylum: Ciliophora
Kingdom: Protozoa
Set up
- suck up a small sample from the top of the container
- put 2 drops onto a slide and add a tiny microdrop of quietening solution
- do NOT contaminate the quietening solution micropipetter by touching the slide.
- put on a cover slip
Observation
- focus on low power, centre and observe on medium power
Clean Up
- wipe slide and cover slip dry
- throw paper towel in garbage
- wash slide with soap, rinse well
- return slide and cover slip to cart
- pack up microscope as instructed
Station 6 – Daphnia
Species: magna
Genus:Daphnia
Family: Daphniidae
Order: Cladocera
Class: Branchiopoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Kingdom: Animalia
Set up
- expel air from micropipette before putting it in container
- watch one daphnia
- suck daphnia into pipette
- put into the well of immersion slide, remove excess water
Observation
- use low power then medium power
- keep light off when not observing to keep from overheating the daphnia
- if the daphnia is not alive then follow clean up and set up instructions to observe another daphnia
Clean Up
- wipe slide and cover slip dry
- throw paper towel in garbage
- wash slide with soap, rinse well
- return slide and cover slip to cart
- pack up microscope as instructed
Station 7 – Euglena
Species: gracilis
Genus:Euglena
Family: Euglenaceae
Order: Euglenales
Class: Euglenida
Phylum: Euglenozoa
Kingdom: Protozoa
Set up
- put two drops from the bottom of the container on a slide and cover with a slip
Observation
- focus on low power, look for tiny green dots, centre slide
- use medium power and focus through all levels, then centre and try high power
- turn off light when you are not looking
Clean Up
- wipe slide and cover slip dry
- throw paper towel in garbage
- wash slide with soap, rinse well
- return slide and cover slip to cart
- pack up microscope as instructed
05 OBSERVING PROTISTS and animals.doc