Lab 2: Ciliate Challenge
Objective:
The objective of the Ciliate Challenge Lab is to learn how to use the dissecting microscopes and learn how to identify the ciliates.
Purpose:
To identify the ciliates using their individual characteristics like shape, size, movement, and speed.
Procedure:
- Plug in dissecting microscope and get the lense into focus.
- Use pipette, labeled to match a test tube, to take a small sample of the ciliates and place it into its designated well.
- Repeat step 2 for each of the ciliate test tubes.
- Put pipette back into pipette holder, and place the test tubes back into their holder too.
- Put the wells under the microscope and observe each individually and fill in the table accordingly.
- Draw each of the ciliates to the best of your ability, and make any final observations.
- One finished observing your ciliates, take the wells and wash them under the sink with bleach.
- Place the wells upside down on the towels to dry for the next group.
- Clean your table.
Observations/Data
| Unknown # | Shape | Relative Size | Movement | Location in Media | Other Characteristics | Name |
| 1 | Flat and oval like |
Very Small Observed at 40x |
Twisting Motion | Middle/bottom | Very small, fast, and somewhat translucent | Euplotes |
| 2 | Flat and oval like |
Small, spread out (flat) Observed 40x |
Complete Bodily rotation | Middle/Bottom | Slow Jerky Movement | Aspidisca |
| 3 | Grain Shaped |
Medium Observed at 40x |
Circular Twisting motion
|
Seen Everywhere in the wells | Swim fast, seems to swim without direction | Paramecium |
| 4 | Grain shaped |
Medium Observed at 40x |
Twisting Motion | Top and Bottom of the Well | Swims slower, seems to stay level not much movement up or down | Paramecium |
| 5 | snake (tube) shaped |
Large Observed at 40x |
Moves side to side | Lower in the well | Copies the motion of a snake when swimming | Spirostomum |
| 6 | Flower Before Blooming |
Large Observed at 40x |
Twisting motion | Closer to the Edges of the well | Green Color | Stentor |
Drawings:
Conclusion:
We were able to list characteristics of each of the ciliates and make our best predictions as to what the name of each sample is. What I plan to do next is to use a more powerful microscope to get a better image of each of the ciliate samples. This will help me to better identify the ciliates and make better observations in the future.