Objective: The objective of the lab is to use a dissection microscope to locate cilia in water, and to also identify them.

Purpose: To learn how to properly handle and use a dissecting microscope and to identify different cilia by comparing their characteristics

Procedure:

1. Obtain a dissecting microscope.
2. Learn to focus it.
3. Clean my lab area with proper solutions.
4. Obtain a clean well plate.
5. Using plastic pipets to extract unknown cilia from a test tube and filling the well plate about half way.
6. Repeat step 5 for the remaining 5 test tubes.
7. Observe each one and record its shape size movement location other characteristics, and sketch it.
8. Compare the ciliates to each other and provide a tentative identification with reasoning.
9. Clean up by cleaning microscope, unplugging it, and covering it. Rinse the well plates with bleach and then rinse with water and invert on a drying paper.

Data/Results:

Identification:

1. Euplotes
2. Frontonia
3. Paramecium
4. Blephorism
5. Spirostomum
6. Stentor

Conclusion: I learned how to better identify them by the way they move, their size is related to their location, and how the location of the light source changes the way I see them.

Storage: We bleached the well plate and left them to dry on the back counter.

Future Goals: Since we were able to locate and identify cilia in water, the next step would be to do the same thing in soil ciliates. Also to be able to identify them faster by certain characteristics and better use of the microscope.