Two weeks ago our lab manager helped me to use a light microscope with the computer link to take these pictures of some of my little "bugs". I only took samples from my #2 Column that is exposed to daylight. We had to use the phase contrast at 100x and add oil to the slide in order to really get a sense of what we were looking at. I also found it challenging to get a small enough sample out of the mud to be able to put it on the slide & actually see anything. Our lab manager helped me with everything & mentioned that in the first year microbiology class they are doing Winogradsky columns, but they also go through the process of isolating cell colonies on agar plates so that they have an easier time with identification. He said that for the class they use the streak-plate technique. Microbes obtained from sample aproximately 1/2 inch in mud column. Unfortunately I did not want to take up my hosts time with a staining activity (nor did I want to reveal my ignorance to the process), but that would have been even more effective in identifying what I've got here. I think if I were to do this with a class I would want to isolate some colonies and then perform gram stains to look at them.

1 micrometer =aproximately "-" on photo.
Here, I beleive you can see several living microbes taken in the picture. While looking through the microscope you could see quite a bit of movement. Most of my microbes appear to be rod shape and motile. Though there are several cocci or spherical cells.


In the lower center of the screen is a cocci shape that was pretty common with a center "nucleoid" area. It is clear that I need to purchase a microbe field guide, but even then I doubt I have the skill to satisfactorily identify these little bugs. A type of spherical cell that might be found in the conditions of my Winogradsky column could be a Micrococcus species. I pick this as a possible species because according to "A Short Guide to Some Bacteria Genera", by Harold Eddleman, Ph.D., Micrococcus species are very common in soil and dust. The colonies are also pale yellow or orange - which would match what is starting to appear in my 2nd column. They are non-motile, no spores, and aerobic which could all fit. Again, this is a sample species that might be considered, I am not going to try to identify it for real!

This is my favorite picture. The long cell shows up quite nicely and you can see the cell wall and several cellular structures inside the cell. There were several of these, but this was the best shot we got & I was unable to find it on my own (lack of patience)? For this microbe, I am going to refer to the website Microbe Wiki, http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Beggiatoa, for my sample species. Here I am going to highlight Beggiatoa species because of the look of the cells found on this and other sites and because the Wiki definition has this to say, "Beggiatoa is a genus of colorless, filamentous proteobacteria. With cells up to 200 microns in diameter, species of Beggiatoa are among the largest prokaryotes. They are one of the few members of the chemosynthesizers, meaning that they can synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water using energy from inorganic compounds. Beggiatoa are found in polluted marine environments, and can be seen by the naked eye as a white filamentous mat on top of the water as a sign of environmental deterioration." I liked this description, but I don't believe I have such a mat anywhere within my column - this might rule out Beggiatoa. Also good to note that the photos on the Wiki site can be found at the Cyanobacterial Image Gallery: http://www-cyanosite.bio.purdue.edu/images/images.html.

Last, but not least, I think that the image in the middle center is another rod shaped cell with a polar flagella, there were also a number of these to be found in our samples, but this was the best shot we were able to get. I like the sample microbe that I found to highlight in this category: Rhodospirillum species. These are large spiral cells with very rapid motility and a spinning movement. According to the "Short Guide", they will grow on yeast media in the dark microaerophilically with pale white color. In the presence of light, they grow a purple or maroon color in medium anaerobically via photosynthesis. They develop huge populations in algae covered sewage ponds and can also be found in pond muds.

Currently, Column #1 has not changed much, though the water has returned to clear color, but column #2 has begun to show a variety of colors and the water has maintained it's redish hue. There is no strong smell coming from any of the columns. The columns in the dark have not developed a distinctive color change. More photos on these to be posted later.