Bdelloid Rotifer

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Bdelloid Rotifer
Photo Information
Copyright: Stephen Emerson (Signal-Womb) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1229 W: 64 N: 2893] (10757)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-09-18
Categories: Single-celled
Camera: Canon EOS 300 D
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): Best of Astro to Micro [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2004-09-19 5:42
Viewed: 3331
Points: 12
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Have a look at my WORKSHOP for a better sample at 400x.

Todays post opens a window unto a world of small animals, small plants, and small things in general. Last week I posted a shot of Plankton this week its a small animal called the ROTIFER. To obtain this sample I simple went out to the garden with a syringe and draw up a few mls of dirty water. Here we see this animal in various stages of magnification to give some kind of scale on how small these things are.

Rotifers are small, mostly freshwater animals, and are amongst the smallest members of the Metazoa -- that group of multicellular animals which includes humans, and whose bodies are organized into systems of organs. Most are about 0.5mm in length or less, and their bodies have a total of around a thousand cells.

Look carefully and you can see the rotifers internal organs. Their most salient feature, and the one which caused them to be named "wheel animals" by early microscopists, is the corona -- usually in the form of two lobes surrounded by beating cilia, which give a vivid impression of rapidly rotating wheels.

Here we see the rotifer is attached by its foot, the current created by the corona brings food particles to the mouth, and when the rotifer releases the grip of its foot, they act as twin propellers, transporting the rotifer rapidly from one place to another. They are all females and produce eggs requiring no fertilization.

HOWS IT DONE?

First of all let me say I have not perfected the technique for using my camera for micro-photography. I am simply using eyepiece projection with various eyepieces to get the best results. The higher I go in magnification the more difficult it becomes to get a sharp picture because of the very shallow depth of field and the the lowering of light. At 400x I find myself using ISO 800-1600 on the camera.

extramundi, marhowie, RAP, gerhardt, PDP, japie, Chaga has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Gorgeous! This is a stuning picture of a very interesting subject. You got very good image, sharp all over, it is very dificult, without a covering glass the DOF is almost imposible, and you did it great, I can see the internal organs perfectly. The note is perfect. Thanks!

Stephen, Excellent work-up & supporting notes. I studied Micro-Biology years ago in college so you've given me a mini refresher in this area! This a facinating area of nature photography. Thanx!!

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2004-09-19 9:33]

Grandiosa presentacion Stephen ... por su composicion, por lo originalidad y por la calidad demostrada.
10 puntos.

Huge presentation Stephen... by its composition, the originality and the demonstrated quality.
10 points.

Yeat again you surprise with an unique posting. The different zoom levels are showinf real initiative. I have no previous knowledge in Microbiology and hope you will continue to teach and show us some more interesting stuff. I have no idea how to critique these set of photos. :)

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2964 W: 366 N: 3848] (11733)
  • [2004-09-19 13:45]

Original, well presented and interesting. I do like the slide manipulation shot. Excellent stuff, keep them coming...water fleas please? :-)

  • Great 
  • japie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1996 W: 107 N: 1897] (5103)
  • [2004-09-19 14:23]

Now I am impressed! You are opening up a world to me that I know nothing about. You are getting excellent results with you micro photography. Thanks for posting and I do hope that you are going to post more of these.

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