Brugia Malayi - Clark Science Center - Smith College

Testate Amoebae and Discovering that Environment May Have an Effect
on the Population of a Species
Cameah Wood
Testate amoebae are single celled microorganisms that dwell within bogs, near or in freshwater, soils, and some vegetation.
These organisms are enclosed within shells that differ in shapes and sizes. In addition, they move and eat by using pseudopodia.
(Pseudopodia are very important when identifying whether the amoebae being viewed under a microscope is alive.) Noticing the
different physical characteristics of the testate amoebae is another very important characteristic when viewing testate amoebae.
This helps to identify the species, until they are identified by their genetic make-up. Testate amoebae are important to science
because they have the capabilities of helping scientists research and discover the climate conditions and changes within an area or
habitat that can span over thousands of years. Over the period of time which I conducted research, I collected viewed, identified
and classified testate amoebae from local bogs. This helped to spark ideas for future projects.
When conducting research with testate amoebae, collecting is the beginning. Traveling to different local bogs such as Acadia,
Harvard Forest, and Bear Swamp etc., has helped us to maximize the possibility of collecting an array of different species of
testate amoeba. At the collection sites, we then look around for sphagnum moss. This type of vegetation, is where majority of
testate amoebae dwell, this is due to the ph. levels existent within the moss. Testate amoebae thrive off of acidic vegetation such
as the sphagnum moss. In addition to this, we also collect a sample of the water from the area which the sphagnum is located.
From there we view our samples, make note of the number of species we find, mouth pipette them, genome amplify them, clone,
sequence, and then proceed to analyze our results.
After repeatedly doing this, many things were realized that there was a pattern within the species population within different
sites. Within some sites for example, the testate amoebae Hyalosphinia Papillio may be more existent then in other places. After
coming to that conclusion, the characteristics of the sites where identified. This identification can consist of whether or not
location of a sample was higher up on a hill, dryer (where there was little to no water available to sample) etc. After looking at
all the different characteristics there is a possibility that different conditions of the environment have effect on the population
of a species within a site, and further research can be conduction on this topic. (Supported by Blakeslee Fund in the Biological
Sciences)
Advisor: Laura Katz
References:
1 Microscopy-UK Micscape Microscopy and Microscopes Magazine. Microscopy-UK Micscape Microscopy and Microscopes Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2012.
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