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This ciliate is Mesodinium rubrum, a very common planktonic ciliate which usually relies on photosynthesis rather than eating phytoplankton. It contains chloroplasts from cryptophyte algae. It is about 30 microns long.
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Ribadelago de Franco, Castille and Leon, Spain
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Mohedas de la Jara, Castille la Mancha, Spain
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Lardero, La Rioja, Spain
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Image of Mesodinium rubrum. This ciliate contains chloroplasts (the dark brown areas in this specimen). It usually functions as a plant, living from photosynthesis. However, ocassionally it needs to replensish its supply of chloroplasts by eating a particular kind of microscopic protist- a 'cryptophyte'.
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Mohedas de la Jara, Castille la Mancha, Spain
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Mohedas de la Jara, Castille la Mancha, Spain
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Pera, Faro, Portugal
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Pera, Faro, Portugal
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Pera, Faro, Portugal
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[taxonomy:genus=Mesodinium]
Date:
9 Sep 2011, originally collected mid-Aug
Location:
Freshwater fish pond in concrete tank, outside Life Science Lab 7. Walls were covered in filamentous cyanobacteria, and the bottom with fish waste. Water was mostly clear.
Pipetted sample from floc at bottom of tube which has settled after > two weeks
Microscope:
Bright-field with closed condenser aperture.
Camera:
Nikon D7000
Collector:
Brandon Seah
Scale:
20830 pixels/mm = 20.8 pixels/µm (40x)