Bdelloid rotifer
Unidentified
Bdelloid rotifer. Rotifers are microscopic animals found in ponds and temporary pools. They are a foodsource for other invertebrates and assist in the decomposition of organic material by eating algae and bacteria. The class of rotifer illustrated here is a Bdelloid Rotifer. Males are unknown and asexual reproduction is by parthenogenesis. They are able to survive drought and freezing by remaining dormant for very long periods. They body shape is long and tubular, contracting to a rounded blob.
Photograph detail
Slide 1: Bdelloid rotifer. Unidentified. Feeding on microbes from a decaying leaf. Euglena also present. Photographed at x100, phase contrast illumination. Collected from a temporary pool. Disused railway. Hargill, Redmire. March.
Slide 2: Bdelloid rotifer. Unidentified. Feeding on microbes from a decaying leaf. Photographed at x400, brightfield illumination. Collected from a temporary pool. Disused railway. Hargill, Redmire. March.
Slide 3: Bdelloid rotifer. Unidentified. Feeding on microbes from a decaying leaf. Photographed at x400, brightfield illumination. Collected from a temporary pool. Disused railway. Hargill, Redmire. March.
Slide 4: Bdelloid rotifer. Unidentified. Feeding on microbes from a decaying leaf. Photographed at x100, brightfield illumination. Collected from a temporary pool. Disused railway. Hargill, Redmire. March.
Slide 5: Bdelloid rotifer. Unidentified. Habitat, consisting of decaying leaves in a temporary pool. Disused railway. Hargill, Redmire. February.