Objectives:

The objective of this lab was to find a ciliate and capture a picture of it for further identification. We also finished testing our soil classifications by observing the different layers of soil in our falcon tubes.

Procedure:

Soil Texture –

1. Put 4mL of soil from the soil sample into a falcon tube
2. Add enough water to fill the falcon tube to 10mL
3. Add 1 drop of dispersing solution to the falcon tube, and shake the tube well to mix the contents
4. Label your tube with you initials, section number, and the year and place into the test tube rack in the front of the room.
5. After the contents of the tube have settled over the period of a week, use a ruler to measure the percentage composition of your soil.
6. Measure the amount of sand, silt, and clay and divide it by the overall measurement of soil.
7. Record results in your lab notebook.

Ciliate Discovery –

1. Use a clean slide to scrape your soil onto one side of your petri dish
2. Let the water drain from the soil and collect on the opposite side of your dish
3. Use a pipette to place many drops onto a slide for observation.
4. Observe each drop and search for any organisms
5. Take pictures and describe any organisms found

*group picture of single ciliate*

Data:

Soil Texture –

Total Amount of Soil: 1.6 cm

0.7cm – sand     0.7/1.6 = 43.75%

0.8cm – silt        0.8/1.6 = 50%

0.1cm – clay       0.1/1.6 = 6.25%

Soil Composition Name: Silt Loam

Ciliate Discovery –

Only one ciliate was discovered that was able to be properly photographed, and it is pictured above. Another organism that was found were Nematodes, which were moving around erratically like in past observations.

Storage:

All lab equipment was stored properly, and microscopes were covered and placed in the middle of the tables for future use. Our samples were returned for future use and observation, and out tables were cleaned.

Conclusion:

We have yet to identify our ciliate, but we do have a picture that will help to compare it to other known species of ciliate to further identify it. Nematodes continue to be found all throughout the soil samples and could be the reason ciliates seem to be limited.

Future Goals:

In the future, I would like to repeat the experiment with a better sample of soil to hopefully capture and identify more ciliates. I would also like to get a higher quality picture of my ciliate along with a video showing its movement pattern.