MicroNaturalists Notebook Index

Are you a MicroNaturalist Explorer?

Have you discovered the teaming microlife of ponds, streams, tidepools, moss beds, the soil, and virtually everywhere else in the world, including between the grains of sand on a beach?
Whether a student of biology, a seasoned MicroNaturalist, or just a curious individual, you'll enjoy our series of photo essays featuring observations you can make with a good compound microscope, a sense of the mysteries of life waiting to be discovered, some patience, and a desire to ask questions.

Our MicroNaturalist’s Notebook series was researched, photographed and written by award-winning biological photographer, Bruce J. Russell, during the period from 2003 through 2006. Sadly, Bruce died in a tragic accident near the end of December 2006. Bruce's love for observing microlife through the microscope and for trying to understand these simple, yet surprisingly complex organisms, is captured in these essays. We hope that students will continue to be inspired by his remarkable photography and poignant observations. Please click here for an essay celebrating Bruce's work and life.

Features:


Dileptus: Elephant of the Ciliates	Paramecium's "Fleas"	Walking With Euplotes	Intimate Relationships Among the Very Small

P. bursaria , It's easy being green!	Bring Em Back Alive	Alien Emerges From Flying Sauce	Colpidium, Rabbit of the Microcos

Bacteria, Ya Can't Live Without Um	Didinium - A Wolf Comes Calling	Vorticella - Life on a Spring	Three Speedsters

Nassula - The Chain Eater

Nassula - Under Attack

Curious Spinsters from a Clam

A detailed learning program about the Lives of Micro-Organisms is available
on our new video-DVD program, Branches on the Tree of Life: Protists.

For more colorful photoessays, galleries and links on micro-organisms see the following:

The Ciliates Gallery	The Ciliates are a diverse group of amazingly complex single-celled organisms. View great photos of living ciliates and learn about their remarkable biology.
Life In A Drop Gallery	One of our most popular galleries. An introduction to a variety of protists found in the pond.
Whirling Animals Gallery	An introduction to Rotifers, a fascinating group of microscopic multicellular animals.
The Classics of Biology – Paramecium	Every biology student should become familiar with this classic organism. "Terrific photos and a concise summary of of the biology of Paramecium".
The Branches on the Tree of Life: Protists Study Guide	This guide is packed with information about the organization and diversity of protists. It is also a concise guide to our video/DVD program on the topic, and it can be downloaded in PDF format.
Living Bacteria through the Microscope	Frames from our extensive files of video footage of bacteria. These colorful light-microscope images show bacteria, which, despite being the most abundant life-forms on our planet, are seldom seen as living individual organisms.
Glorius Guts - What Lives Inside the Termite	This short gallery will be expanded later into a more detailed look at the remarkable protists and bacteria living in the guts of termites. These endo-symbionts are crucial to the termites’ abilities to digest wood particles.
The Ciliates - Annotated Web Links Set	A large collection of links for learning more about Ciliates.
Domains of Life - Annotated Web Links Set	For about 2 billions years, life on Earth consisted entirely of single-celled microscopic organisms - bacteria, archaea and simple eukaryotes. Our video and CD-ROM programs, The Domains of Life, show how modern living organisms reveal the past evolutionary history of our planet. This web links set provides other resources for the biology and evolution of modern micro-life.