Hyderabad was once a city of beautiful lakes and ponds and
 <a href="https://www.whatsuplife.in/hyderabad/blog/hyderabad-city-lakes-ponds-water-bodies/">
 to some it still seems so
 </a>
 . Our place-names record long-lost water — Gachi
 
 bowli
 
 (well), Nalla
 
 kunta
 
 (pond), Patan
 
 cheru
 
 (lake), Chader
 
 ghat
 
 (riverside),
 <a href="http://www.qasim.net/hyderabad-locality-names/">
 and many more
 </a>
 .
 <a alt="Hyderabads-dried-up-lake-beds-turn-into-encroachers-paradise-1516246.html" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/Hyderabads-dried-up-lake-beds-turn-into-encroachers-paradise-1516246.html">
 As we continue to lose our water sources to urban sprawls
 </a>
 we experience the
 <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/extinction-alert-90-hyderabad-lakes-are-cesspools/articleshow/56152499.cms">
 seamy side of the few struggling water bodies around us
 </a>
 .


 We ventured into local ponds and puddles which were icky, but we got some samples and viewed algae in them. Water from the neighboring rainwater pond looked healthier and once, to our delight, little crustaceans hatched out in it overnight. Under our old foldscope we saw some tiny plants and what could be sporangia. We did not spot any swimmers.

<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32955" class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_32955" style="width: 225px">
 <a alt="B1600237-EF2A-409C-AB30-497D84B1853C.jpeg" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/B1600237-EF2A-409C-AB30-497D84B1853C.jpeg">
 <img alt="B1600237-EF2A-409C-AB30-497D84B1853C" class="wp-image-32955 size-medium gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="32955" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"2.2","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 5s","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1513694238","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.15","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.03030303030303","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="B1600237-EF2A-409C-AB30-497D84B1853C" data-recalc-dims="1" height="300" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/B1600237-EF2A-409C-AB30-497D84B1853C.jpeg" width="225"/>
 </a>
 <figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-32955">
 Rainwater pond – 1
 </figcaption>
</figure>
<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32952" class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_32952" style="width: 225px">
 <a alt="94C4B460-526A-4689-9D0A-9D3E8C3BA2C0.jpeg" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/94C4B460-526A-4689-9D0A-9D3E8C3BA2C0.jpeg">
 <img alt="94C4B460-526A-4689-9D0A-9D3E8C3BA2C0" class="wp-image-32952 size-medium gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="32952" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"2.2","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 5s","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1513788322","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.15","iso":"50","shutter_speed":"0.01","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="94C4B460-526A-4689-9D0A-9D3E8C3BA2C0" data-recalc-dims="1" height="300" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/94C4B460-526A-4689-9D0A-9D3E8C3BA2C0.jpeg" width="225"/>
 </a>
 <figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-32952">
 Rainwater pond – 2
 </figcaption>
</figure>
<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32954" class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_32954" style="width: 225px">
 <a alt="46357E2D-0C0E-472E-B1BE-E50CD511363D.jpeg" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/46357E2D-0C0E-472E-B1BE-E50CD511363D.jpeg">
 <img alt="46357E2D-0C0E-472E-B1BE-E50CD511363D" class="wp-image-32954 size-medium gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="32954" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"2.2","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 5s","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1513788400","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.15","iso":"32","shutter_speed":"0.02","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="46357E2D-0C0E-472E-B1BE-E50CD511363D" data-recalc-dims="1" height="300" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/46357E2D-0C0E-472E-B1BE-E50CD511363D.jpeg" width="225"/>
 </a>
 <figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-32954">
 Rainwater pond – 3
 </figcaption>
</figure>
<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32951" class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_32951" style="width: 225px">
 <a alt="C693EC07-0816-4C2C-B8FF-AEFD1E0DF1ED.jpeg" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/C693EC07-0816-4C2C-B8FF-AEFD1E0DF1ED.jpeg">
 <img alt="C693EC07-0816-4C2C-B8FF-AEFD1E0DF1ED" class="wp-image-32951 size-medium gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="32951" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"2.2","credit":"","camera":"iPhone 5s","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1513788196","copyright":"","focal_length":"4.15","iso":"64","shutter_speed":"0.03030303030303","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="C693EC07-0816-4C2C-B8FF-AEFD1E0DF1ED" data-recalc-dims="1" height="300" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/C693EC07-0816-4C2C-B8FF-AEFD1E0DF1ED.jpeg" width="225"/>
 </a>
 <figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-32951">
 Rainwater pond – 4
 </figcaption>
</figure>

 Then last Sunday our luck turned…  it might have been be the new foldscope, the stp (see below) water, a thunderstorm the previous night, or just more practice in looking.


 
 Pedestal pond
 


 This was water from a concrete pedestal pond about a metre wide. Hold your breath now, this water comes from the
 
 sewage treatment plant
 
 in our apartment complex, and it supports some nice water lilies and other green stuff.

<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32956" class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_32956" style="width: 300px">
 <a alt="AEB4CD08-8E89-422F-8641-4E802B426F55.jpeg" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/AEB4CD08-8E89-422F-8641-4E802B426F55.jpeg">
 <img alt="AEB4CD08-8E89-422F-8641-4E802B426F55" class="wp-image-32956 size-medium gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="32956" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="AEB4CD08-8E89-422F-8641-4E802B426F55" data-recalc-dims="1" height="225" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/AEB4CD08-8E89-422F-8641-4E802B426F55.jpeg" width="300"/>
 </a>
 <figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-32956">
 Pedestal pond
 </figcaption>
</figure>

 Filamentous algae grow around the rough concrete edge of the pond.

<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32957" class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_32957" style="width: 300px">
 <a alt="FFD6DD65-A1EC-407B-BABF-BAD52E0BBD0B.jpeg" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/FFD6DD65-A1EC-407B-BABF-BAD52E0BBD0B.jpeg">
 <img alt="FFD6DD65-A1EC-407B-BABF-BAD52E0BBD0B" class="wp-image-32957 size-medium gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="32957" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="FFD6DD65-A1EC-407B-BABF-BAD52E0BBD0B" data-recalc-dims="1" height="225" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/FFD6DD65-A1EC-407B-BABF-BAD52E0BBD0B.jpeg" width="300"/>
 </a>
 <figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-32957">
 Rim of the pedestal pond
 </figcaption>
</figure>

 Here they are through our new foldscope.

<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32958" class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_32958" style="width: 300px">
 <a alt="ADBF6FE8-B8CF-461B-B539-E028ADCE8EA7.jpeg" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/ADBF6FE8-B8CF-461B-B539-E028ADCE8EA7.jpeg">
 <img alt="ADBF6FE8-B8CF-461B-B539-E028ADCE8EA7" class="wp-image-32958 size-medium gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="32958" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="ADBF6FE8-B8CF-461B-B539-E028ADCE8EA7" data-recalc-dims="1" height="300" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/ADBF6FE8-B8CF-461B-B539-E028ADCE8EA7.jpeg" width="300"/>
 </a>
 <figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-32958">
 Filamentous algae – Oedogonium
 </figcaption>
</figure>

 We had a good look at the chloroplasts through the 45X objective of a compound microscope: most likely this is the
 <a href="http://algalweb.net/oedogon.htm">
 filamentous algae ‘Oedogonium’
 </a>
 . We were wondering about the irregular brown tufts which web images of Oedogonium show  too.
 <a href="http://algalweb.net/Oedogon.htm">
 The ‘algalweb’ images
 </a>
 show them at one end of the filament and seem to imply they are attachment discs, but we could not find them in any diagrams.  Could someone comment please?


 Around the algae there was a lot of activity!

<div class="wp-video" style="width: 480px;">
 
 <video alt="ADBF6FE8-B8CF-461B-B539-E028ADCE8EA7" class="wp-video-shortcode gcloudimg" controls="controls" height="848" id="video-32965-1" preload="metadata" width="480">
 <source alt="2018-04-08-VIDEO-00000333.mp4" class="gcloudimg" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/2018-04-08-VIDEO-00000333.mp4" type="video/mp4"/>
 <a alt="2018-04-08-VIDEO-00000333.mp4" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/2018-04-08-VIDEO-00000333.mp4">
 http://microcosmos.foldscope.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-04-08-VIDEO-00000333.mp4
 </a>
 </video>
</div>

 Any guesses about these swimmers?


 The filament below has
 <a href="http://algalweb.net/oedogon.htm">
 empty cells, probably left after the zoospores are released
 </a>
 .

<figure aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32964" class="wp-caption alignnone" id="attachment_32964" style="width: 225px">
 <a alt="49D2292E-F602-4D9C-807B-A4F77F73A5D3.jpeg" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/49D2292E-F602-4D9C-807B-A4F77F73A5D3.jpeg">
 <img alt="49D2292E-F602-4D9C-807B-A4F77F73A5D3" class="wp-image-32964 size-medium gcloudimg" data-attachment-id="32964" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta='{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}' data-image-title="49D2292E-F602-4D9C-807B-A4F77F73A5D3" data-recalc-dims="1" height="300" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/49D2292E-F602-4D9C-807B-A4F77F73A5D3.jpeg" width="225"/>
 </a>
 <figcaption class="wp-caption-text" id="caption-attachment-32964">
 Some empty cells in Oedogonium
 </figcaption>
</figure>

 In the next video we saw the swimmers spinning, tumbling, ballooning, or whizzing right past. The large green elongated swimmers are probably Euglena… under the compound microscope we saw their red eye-spot and pointed tail end. The large round green ones have a billowing ring of cilia around them. We wondered if they are zoospores of Oedogonium. And the long white ones moving with a twisty motion… Paramoecium perhaps? Do tell us your guesses.

<div class="wp-video" style="width: 848px;">
 <video alt="49D2292E-F602-4D9C-807B-A4F77F73A5D3" class="wp-video-shortcode gcloudimg" controls="controls" height="480" id="video-32965-2" preload="metadata" width="848">
 <source alt="2018-04-08-VIDEO-00001205.mp4" class="gcloudimg" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/2018-04-08-VIDEO-00001205.mp4" type="video/mp4"/>
 <a alt="2018-04-08-VIDEO-00001205.mp4" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/2018-04-08-VIDEO-00001205.mp4">
 http://microcosmos.foldscope.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-04-08-VIDEO-00001205.mp4
 </a>
 </video>
</div>



 But it was the
 <a alt="Bdelloidea" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/Bdelloidea">
 bdelloid (leech-like) rotifers
 </a>
 who stole the show.

<div class="wp-video" style="width: 480px;">
 <video alt="Bdelloidea" class="wp-video-shortcode gcloudimg" controls="controls" height="848" id="video-32965-3" preload="metadata" width="480">
 <source alt="C612C636-EB44-4F28-B799-789C5039A0C6.mp4" class="gcloudimg" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/C612C636-EB44-4F28-B799-789C5039A0C6.mp4" type="video/mp4"/>
 <a alt="C612C636-EB44-4F28-B799-789C5039A0C6.mp4" class="gcloudimg" href="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_32965/C612C636-EB44-4F28-B799-789C5039A0C6.mp4">
 http://microcosmos.foldscope.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/C612C636-EB44-4F28-B799-789C5039A0C6.mp4
 </a>
 </video>
</div>



 Watch the large rotifer circling like an inchworm, in and out on the left of the frame. It anchors itself to a tuft of stuff and puts up a stunning performance with its two spinning rings of cilia on either side of the head.  Enjoy!




 K. Ashalatha
 
 Jayashree Ramadas

Life in a pedestal pond

TCIS Outreach | Thu, Apr 12, 2018, 11:24 PM

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Categories

Type of Sample

Foldscope Lens Magnification

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