Ciliates

Protozoa are single-celled organisms. That means the entire organism is just one cell, whereas animals like us are made of trillions of cells of different types, each with specific jobs. Just like animals, protozoa have ecological roles as hunters, grazers, or prey. Some even partner with algae or use chloroplasts like plants to produce food for themselves using light. Protozoa are very common, and watching them in a microscope is almost as easy and just as much fun as birdwatching with binoculars. However, learning to recognize and name the different kinds of protozoa is a little more complicated.

Root microbiome

The surface of a plant's root is a hub of activity in the soil. Plants are known to feed (and feed on) microorganisms, and can actively influence the composition of the microbial community around them.

Difflugia with microplastic

This amoeba is easy to miss unless the eye is trained to notice that certain clumps of debris are not like the others. This clump of debris is actually a shell, or "test" of an amoeba in the genus Difflugia. It has constructed its home by gluing together bits and pieces from the environment around it, similar to the caddisfly larva.

Ciliate death

This illustration is based on an incredible video captured by James Weiss (link below). The video shows the final, desperate moments of a ciliate trying to repair itself before it finally disintegrates and fades away.

Difflugia

Difflugia are amoebas that live in shells they build using materials gathered from their surroundings. Difflugia can be easy to overlook in the microscope until your eye is trained to notice the particular shapes and patterns that differentiate living things from debris, even when the living things are hiding in structures made from that same debris.

I'm switching to INPRNT!

Hi everyone!

Heliozoan

Heliozoa are also known as "sun animalcules" because they look like tiny suns in the microscope. I drew this in early spring of 2021, when I was feeling a rush of creative energy inspired by the return of sunlight after the long dark winter.

Vorticella

Vorticella is a genus of ciliates that can be found in soil and freshwater. They are usually seen attached to soil particles on a stalk which can coil up like a spring if the cell is disturbed. Vorticella uses a crown of hair-like cilia to create a whirling vortex in the water, sucking in particles of food, which usually consists of bacteria or small protozoa.

How the drawings are made

In general, digital art refers to any artwork that was created by a human artist with the use of computers instead of physical media such as ink, graphite, or paint. It does not refer to images generated by computer software or artificial intelligence (that would be called CGI and AI art), although in some cases artists may use those technologies in their digital art process. In most cases, digital tools and techniques are similar to traditional methods, using a stylus with simulated brushes, pens, and pencils, and a tablet or screen with a digital canvas instead of physical paper or canvas.

Rotifer

Rotifers are multicellular, unlike the single-celled protozoa, but that doesn’t always mean they’re bigger! Some protozoa are much larger than rotifers and can even swallow them whole.

Nematode trapped by fungus

A root-feeding nematode, trapped by a predatory fungus before it had a chance to puncture the root.

Testate amoeba

Testate amoebas are like the snails of the microworld. The word "testate" refers to the amoeba's shell, which is also called a "test". They live in this shell just like a snail does; carrying it around and reaching out to collect food. Testate amoebas can either grow their shell, as in this illustration, or they can build one using particles from the environment, like Difflugia does. In soil, the shells are typically simple, smooth and somewhat flattened to help them travel through tight spaces. In more lush environments like moss, leaf litter or freshwater the shell can be much larger and can even have spikes and other fancy features.

Leptophrys

A large amoeba of the genus Leptophrys, with long branching pseudopods reaching out in all directions. This was inspired by a video by Jam's Germs on instagram, which you can see here.

Tardigrade

Tardigrades (Norsk: bjørnedyr), or "water bears" are famous for their ability to survive the most extreme conditions, and for their resemblance to tiny bears.

Actinobacteria in hot compost

If you've ever made hot compost, you might have noticed an ashy substance in the pile after it has heated up, and perhaps even worried that the material had started to burn. Chances are it was just actinobacteria, like these colonies of Micromonospora and Streptomyces basking in the heat before the compost cools and fungi take over.

Stylonychia

Stylonychia is a genus of ciliates which is common in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Tufts of fused cilia called cirri give the cell an insect-like appearance.

Root biofilm

Bacteria have glued themselves together to form a biofilm on the surface of a plant root. A small flagellate prowls along the structure, hunting for any bacteria that aren't safely locked in.

Mineral soil

This soil is in an early stage of ecological succession. It may be forming for the first time from parent rock material, or it may have experienced a severe disturbance. There is very little organic matter; it's a desert-like landscape made up of mostly mineral particles. There is some life here, but diversity is low due to the harsh conditions and the lack of complex habitat, shelter, and resources.

Kate Solbakk

Mikroliv