BIOLOGY OF PROTIST ABUDANCE

AIM: Study the abudance of protist in a cowdung culture
INTRODUCTION: Protists belong to the Kingdom Protista, which include mostly unicellular organisms that do not fit into the other kingdoms. Though mostly are unicellular there are some multicellular organisms within the kingdom. Thus species form of the “body” of the organism consists of a variety of types of cells, each type with its own specialized function unlike the unicellular form. We also find colonial protist which consist of cells that are similar with similar function.
Kelp a brown multicellular algae; Volvox, which is a green colonial algae and Spirogyra also a green algae with filamentous. Most unicellular are small in size but have a highly complexity level. Species such as Amoeboids and ciliates have a unique organelles that re contractile that assist in water regulation.
Protist are all eukaryotes, (consist of true nucleus or membranous organelles) water based organisms. They are aerobic with mitochondria for cellular respiration and some have chloroplast for photosythesis. Most usual have an asexual life cycle reproduce or grow by mitosis, and some reproduce by meiosis and fertilization. Spore formation normlly occurs in hostile enviroment to incerease chances of survival y being resistant in adverse condition untill favourable conditions, many form Cysts such as protoazoans. Protist vary in size from microscopic algae and protoazoans to kelp that can be over 200 m in length.
In this study of pritist cowdung culture i will be studying their abudance over 3 different week treatments. One for seated for 2 weeks after being prepaired the other two for 3 and 6 weeks respectively. Three slides will be prepaired for each week treatment

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three treatment of cowdung will be prepaired into different clean Baekers of 600ml,with no trace of soup as they can contaminate the experiment. The cowdung on the 3 beakers will be half filled with water and placed in a dimly lit environment for those different weeks mentioned above.
Aftern having set for each particular week. I then micro pipeted a sample from the first culture week which is week 2 into a slide. taking the sample almost from the bottom of the beaker but avoiding the cowdung its self. then placed a cover slip over the slid and placd it under the compound microscope.
Using different magnification ranging from 10X to 40X to view the moving protist. I study and estimated the population abudance of each protist in each of the 3 slide prepaired for the week. Some species look-like cilliates for exampled which i could recorginesed properly with names i termed them (spp_ with a number i ended up on to). Each estimation in each slide where then added up and calculated to a percentage. Thise was done for each of the 3rd and 6th week cowdung treatments.
RESULTS: