Bdelloid Rotifer
Living in moss
Bdelloid Rotifer. Rotifers are microscopic animals found in ponds and damp places like patches of moss. 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 in contracted state. Collected from Cypress-leaved Plait-moss Hypnum cupressiforme, churchyard entrance. Photographed at x400, brightfield illumination. December.
Slide 2: Bdelloid Rotifer. Collected from Cypress-leaved Plait-moss Hypnum cupressiforme, churchyard entrance. Photographed at x400, brightfield illumination. December.
Slide 3: Bdelloid Rotifer in extended state. Collected from Cypress-leaved Plait-moss Hypnum cupressiforme, churchyard entrance. Photographed at x400, brightfield illumination. December.
Slide 4: Habitat. Bdelloid Rotifer. Habitat of Cypress-leaved Plait-moss Hypnum cupressiforme, growing on a wall. Churchyard entrance. December.