Finding Microorganisms

This year in 8th grade Life Science we started a unit on diversity of life by learning what it means to be considered a living thing. One criterion for organisms to be considered living that students came up with was made of cells. So we’ve been looking for microorganisms. We collected samples of water from our neighborhood creek, Chimacum Creek, and we made miniponds. When the time came to check out what we could find in our miniponds we ended up finding lots of incredible creatures.

This little guy looks like a stentor at 400X magnification. Can anyone confirm this?


We’re not sure what this one is. Anyone know? (Also at 400X magnification.)
Microorgansism at 400X Magnification


This little one looks like a microspora also at 400X magnification. Can anyone confirm this?


Here’s another one we can’t identify. Anyone know what this is? (This one at 400X magnification too.)


And here’s what happens when you mistakenly crush a daphnia. This one is at 100X magnification. I don’t think I’ll ever hear the end of it. (And yes, it was alive before I crushed it.)

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