Microscopic Organism Lab

Power: 400
This cell is unique because it has many mitochondria.
I observe the purple nucleus in the corners of the cells.
These cells are Eukaryotic and Heterotrophic.

Power: 400
This side it unique because it shows the vein of a plant and how molecules are transported to cells.
I observe that the cells have cell walls that are easy to see and the organelles are mostly transparent.
These cells are Eukaryotic and Autotrophic.

Power: 100
These cells are unique because the chloroplasts are lined up in a spiral line.
I observe that the cells in this algae form long chains.
These cells are Eukaryotic and Autotrophic.

Power: 400
These cells are unique from the other cells before this because they are significantly smaller.
I observe that these cells come in many different shapes and sizes.
These cells are Prokaryotic and Autotrophic.

Power: 400
This cell is unique because it makes energy from the sun but has no chloroplasts.  This is because they are the ancient chloroplasts that chloroplasts today evolved from.
I observe that these cells are in rings.
These cells are Prokaryotic and Autotrophic.

Power: 400
This cell is unique because it is both autotrophic and heterotrophic at the same time.
I see that the cell has a nucleus, flagellum, and also Chloroplasts.
This cell is Eukaryotic, Autotrophic, and Heterotrophic.

Power: 400
This cell is unique because they all have many different colors.
This cell is relatively large and have visible organelles and pseudopods.
This cell is Eukaryotic and Heterotrophic.

   In this lab we observed the prepared slides of these organisms under microscopes and recorded what we saw in the slides.  Then I took pictures of the slides and labeled them (the ones above).  This helped us understand the structure of the cells, both how they are arranged in muscle and leaf tissue, and how the organelles are inside the cell.

Cell Parts I was able to identify:

• Muscle cell: nucleus, muscle fiber, striations
• Ligustrum: chloroplasts, nucleus, cell wall, epidermis cell, vein
• Spirogyra: cell wall, chloroplasts, cytoplasm, nucleus
• Bacteria Cells: coccus, bacillus, spirilum, 
• Cynobacteria: rings of cynobacteria
• Euglena: nucleus, chloroplast, flagellum
• Amoeba: nucleus, cell membrane, pseudopods, mitochondria

Autotrophs have chloroplasts, or in the case of cynobacteria, are their own chloroplast.  They produce their own energy from light and store it as glucose.  Heterotrophs consume other organisms to acquire energy, they consume these other organisms by swallowing them in the cell membrane and then breaking down their nutrients with the lysosomes.  They usually have a flagellum or pseudopods to move around faster. Eukaryotes are more advanced cells that have their DNA stored inside a nucleus.  They have organells and they make up all the plants and animals that we know, as well as many types of single cellular organisms too. Prokaryotes are more primitive cells that are much older in origin but still most common.  Bacteria and Cynobacteria are prokaryotes.  They do not have a nucleus that stores the DNA and they do not have organelles, but they do have DNA which is in their cytoplasm.