The small ciliated Chilodonella uncinata

Images made through a microscope. All subject types.

Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau

carlos.uruguay
Posts: 5358
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:05 pm
Location: Uruguay - Montevideo - America del Sur
Contact:

The small ciliated Chilodonella uncinata

Post by carlos.uruguay »

In this video we see the small ciliated Chilodonella uncinata.
We found in the freshwater and heavily polluted by industrial waste and pesticides of the Rio de la Plata - Route 1 Km 151,500 Artilleros - Colonia - Uruguay - South America.
Measuring about 25um (0.025mm).
We can see its core near its rear end,
its basket-shaped mouth,
the rows of cilia (longitudinal kineties) that run along the left and right areas of your body,
the cilia close to their "mouth" and two vacuoles on both sides of its body.
100X immersion objective, oblique light.
Video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkFv8nIIlWU
Video preview:
Image
Regards
carlos

75RR
Posts: 766
Joined: Thu May 22, 2014 12:38 pm
Location: Estepona

Post by 75RR »

Very Nice video. Very good Oblique. I also like your presentation/introduction Photographs (this one and the others) very stylish.

Jacek
Posts: 5357
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 7:00 am
Location: Poland

Post by Jacek »

Very nice

carlos.uruguay
Posts: 5358
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:05 pm
Location: Uruguay - Montevideo - America del Sur
Contact:

Post by carlos.uruguay »

Thank you 75RR and Jacek.
The preview photos are screenshots of the video
(There is little space here and unfortunately I can not take pictures)

WalterD
Posts: 616
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2015 12:01 pm
Location: Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Contact:

Post by WalterD »

Impressive video, Carlos; also because you're keeping focus at this high magnification revealing a large a mount of detail. Was wondering whether the dot like pattern in the surrounding area are bacteria?

Bruce Taylor
Posts: 827
Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2011 4:49 pm
Location: Wakefield, Quebec / Ottawa, Ontario
Contact:

Post by Bruce Taylor »

Nice work, Carlos! A great record of a very tiny, pale and inconspicuous ciliate. :D
It Came from the Pond (Blog): http://www.itcamefromthepond.com/

carlos.uruguay
Posts: 5358
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:05 pm
Location: Uruguay - Montevideo - America del Sur
Contact:

Post by carlos.uruguay »

Walter and Bruce, thank you very much for your comments.
WalterD wrote: Was wondering whether the dot like pattern in the surrounding area are bacteria?
Walter, yes, they are small bacteria shaped bacillus short and immobile

Protos
Posts: 346
Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2014 4:01 am
Location: Lille, France

Post by Protos »

Hi Carlos !

I like your video !
Ciliary rows and the Nassa are greatly visualized.
You seem to have the same issue I has with the coverslip with a bit od particles on top
Zeiss Axiophot, transmitted and Fluorescence
BK5000, Transmitted and CP
Wild M20

carlos.uruguay
Posts: 5358
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:05 pm
Location: Uruguay - Montevideo - America del Sur
Contact:

Post by carlos.uruguay »

Protos wrote:Hi Carlos !
You seem to have the same issue I has with the coverslip with a bit od particles on top
Hi Protos. Thank you for your kind comment.
You have reason.
The water sample is in a glass container and the ciliated lives at the bottom,
I have tried to separate the detritus and the sand without too much luck
To worsen the things, Chilodonella only joining and remaining calm close to the particles.
All advice is welcome!

Charles Krebs
Posts: 5865
Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:02 pm
Location: Issaquah, WA USA
Contact:

Post by Charles Krebs »

Carlos,

Excellent detailed video of a small subject. It's always nice to see oblique used so effectively..l. it it such an under-utilized technique.

carlos.uruguay
Posts: 5358
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:05 pm
Location: Uruguay - Montevideo - America del Sur
Contact:

Post by carlos.uruguay »

Charles Krebs wrote:Carlos,
Excellent detailed video of a small subject. It's always nice to see oblique used so effectively..l. it it such an under-utilized technique.
Thank you Charles!
If I tell you how I do the oblique ligth, You laugh!
I put a polarizer filter on the filter mount, and a coin of different diameter on the filter, according to the objective taht I use

zzffnn
Posts: 1896
Joined: Thu May 22, 2014 1:25 pm
Location: Houston, Texas, USA
Contact:

Post by zzffnn »

carlos.uruguay wrote: The water sample is in a glass container and the ciliated lives at the bottom,
I have tried to separate the detritus and the sand without too much luck
To worsen the things, Chilodonella only joining and remaining calm close to the particles.
All advice is welcome!
Hi Carlos,

A small tabletop centrifuge, some micro centrifuge tubes and a micropipette of 0.2 ml tip size may help.

You can centrifuge your water sample at around 200 round per minute, which should pull the sand particle to the very bottom of centrifuge tubes (centrifugal force pull down heaviest particles first). Your protists should fall on top of the sand layer. You can concentrate protists that way and suck them out using a micropipette.

You can buy the cheapest or oldest centrifuge and micropipette, as accuracy in this application is not critical.

You can also try just using a micropipette without centrifuge. Simple shake you sample bottle and lean it to one side (so heavy sand can sink first to that side of the bottom). Then wait maybe 3 hrs (protists are low in density comapred to sand so they need much more time to sink) and gently suck out the layer above the sand layer.
Selling my Canon FD 200mm F/2.8 lens

carlos.uruguay
Posts: 5358
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:05 pm
Location: Uruguay - Montevideo - America del Sur
Contact:

Post by carlos.uruguay »

zzffnn wrote: You can centrifuge your water sample at around 200 round per minute, which should pull the sand particle to the very bottom of centrifuge tubes (centrifugal force pull down heaviest particles first)...
Hi zzffnn
Thank you very much for your friendly advice
Micropipette i have.
I will try to get one centrifuge
Now I live in a place very, very small, with no space.
I have observed this Martin's marvelous video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB5CrUnZ6Kw
But I lack a lot of experience

zzffnn
Posts: 1896
Joined: Thu May 22, 2014 1:25 pm
Location: Houston, Texas, USA
Contact:

Post by zzffnn »

Carlos,

I forgot to mention: do not buy those mini centrifuge that do not allow you to choose speed. They have very sizes but they usually spin at >=4000 rounds per minute. That speed may kill your protists (keep speed at < 600 rpm to be safe).

I did a quick search on eBay but did not see a tiny and cheap centrifuge that allows you to choose a speed. Bigger and more expensive research grade centrifuge allows choosing speed but may be overkill for your use.

The slider technique in that video you linked will work too, though it may take quite a few careful slidings to remove most of the sand. I have tried that technique before.

You may also try those "hand-held centrifuge". Since you would run it by hand, they are light/portable (not big) and controllable in terms of speed.
Selling my Canon FD 200mm F/2.8 lens

carlos.uruguay
Posts: 5358
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:05 pm
Location: Uruguay - Montevideo - America del Sur
Contact:

Post by carlos.uruguay »

Many many thanks zzffnn!

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic