Protozoa and Metazoa in Wastewater · 2019. 6. 22. · Protozoa Amoeba Flagellate Free-swimming...

Steven LeachJune 2019

Protozoa and Metazoa in Wastewater

Which plant is running better?

They are both running very well- Eff COD <30 mg/L and Eff TSS < 15 mg/L

Presence of Protozoa or metazoa doesn’t mean your plant runs any better

but observing and identifying them can help you run the plant

Aeration basin

Home of “active biomass” Take the sample here!!

Provides a “real time” view of biomass

Bugs don’t lie!!

Once sample is collected try andobserve as soon as possible

Protozoa FactsSingle-celled organisms

Feed heterotrophically

Various forms of motility

Eukaryotes-(nucleus)

Over 65,500 currently identified*(120,000 sp)

Occur single or in colonies

Oldest identified- 770 million years*

Found almost everywhere

International Society of Protistologists-always looking for members

*The great oxygenation event was estimated to have occurred around 2300 million years ago

Single Cell- Amazing!

Motility

Reproduction

Respiration*

Feeding

Defense(encystment)

Adaption*

Extrusomes

Foissner et al. 1995

Taxonomische und ökologische

Revision der Ciliaten des

Saprobiensystems, Band 4

Bazerisches Landesamt für

Wasserwirtschaft

Munich, Germany

tips of the

toxicysts

(There are anaerobic protists)

*Rain/excyst, feed,

grow, multiply then

Re-encyst

*Reproduction-binary fission or budding most common

Protozoa

Amoeba

Flagellate

Free-swimming ciliate

Crawling ciliate

Carnivore ciliate

Stalked ciliate

Suctoria

Given enough resources, most

protists can reproduce

asexually indefinitely. They are

functionally ‘immortal’ and don’t

age

Ciliates are different. They have

a characteristic life-span that

includes youth, maturity,

senescence and death

AmoebaSlow movement

False feet

Feed on organics and bacteria

Compete with bacteria

Chaos C.- 1000-5000 microns

Heliozoan

Testate Amoeba

Color tells age* -the longer in the system the more colored (copper)

The test may be organic or inorganic

Shell shape changes in drier conditions

Reproduction with binary fission with shell production first

Testate amoeba may

Feed more selectively

than naked amoeba

Some have teeth*

Flagellate

-Feed on bacteria

-Very fast

-5-10X bacteria size

-Have two or more

flagella

Most flagellum have fine tubular hairs on surface

Numerous genera and species!

Free-Swimming Ciliates

-cilia covers entire shape

-lower BOD present

-Sufficient D.O.

-C.V. shows health

-Asexual & Sexual reproduction

*Approx. 13,207 ciliates described

If paramecium was able to divide 1x/day it

would have more mass than the earth in 113 days.

Crawling Ciliates

pH close to neutral

Cirri cover portion

Established floc

Indicative of steady state*

Foissner et al. 1991

Taxonomische und ökologische

Revision der Ciliaten des

Saprobiensystems, Band I

Bazerisches Landesamt für

Wasserwirtschaft

Munich, Germany

Carnivorous Free-Swimmer

Adequate D.O

Available food

Low BOD

Neutral pH

Healthy biomass

Foissner et al. 1995

Taxonomische und ökologische

Revision der Ciliaten des

Saprobiensystems, Band 4

Bazerisches Landesamt für

Wasserwirtschaft

Munich, Germany

Didinium feeding on paramecium

Suctoria

Low ammonia

Presence of ciliates

With or without stalk

Lower BOD

Neutral pH

Foissner et al. 1995

Taxonomische und ökologische

Revision der Ciliaten des

Saprobiensystems, Band 4

Bazerisches Landesamt für

Wasserwirtschaft

Munich, Germany

Single vs. colonial

Length of stalk= age

Detached from stalk

during changes

Found in both poor and

good operations

Lorica possible

Stalk Ciliates

Foissner et al. 1992:

Taxonomische und ökologische

Revision der Ciliaten des

Saprobiensystems, Band 2

Bayerisches Landesamt für

Wasserwirtschaft

Munich, Germany

Reactions of protozoa to shocks

High ammoniaSlow change in pH

High temperature >48C Low D.O. <.7ppm

??

Smashed from coverslip

Metazoa Facts (regards to wastewater)

Multicellular

Slower growing

Worms, rotifers, gastrotrich, etc…

Evolved during the Precambrian age (545 million years ago)*

Worms and higher have approx. 55 specialized cells

Typically larger than protozoa

Sexual and asexual reproduction

Heterotrophic

All are motile*

Rotifer

-Over 80% are female

-Longer Sludge age*

-Low BOD

-Sufficient D.O.

-Tardigrade food*

-2500 known species

-Live for 2-3 days

-Older rotifers have a darker pigmentation

-Majority are omnivorous

Rotifer jaws“Mastax”

Malleoramate trophi Ramate trophi

NematodeLow D.O.

Long Sludge age

Aerates floc

Feed on fungus

Common in fixed film systems

*Responsible for more crop damage than another other organism

Bristle worm

Very little known

Old sludge age

Fixed film systems

Can cause water to appear pink (reddish)

Spots are sensory cells

Thin cell wall enables growth in low D.O.

Some species are carnivorous

Tardigrade-”Water Bear”

Adequate D.O.**

Low BOD

Neutral pH

Good trout streams*

500 species

Mostly femaleNASA sent them to space

Gasterotrich

Not good indicator organisms

Confused with rotifers

Seen more frequently in fall

Found in both poor and good plants

Higher Life forms

B

C

E

F G

Rotifer

Stalk ciliate

Testate amoebaFlagellate

Suctoria

Amoeba

Carnivore ciliate

A

D

Common terms

Anterior- front part of the cell

Bacterivore- eats bacteria

Buccal- relates to the mouth structure

Cyst- body enclosed in extracellular lorica

Cytoplasm- the matter that makes up cells

Cytostome- the “mouth”

Daughter cells- product of cell division

Diffusion feeding-predator relies on the prey to make contact-(ex. suctoria)

Detritus- dead plant and animal material

Encyst- to change from active to cyst form

Eukaryotic- cells with nuclei and other membranous organelles

Extracellular- outside the cell

Extrusomes-organelle to catch, kill or protect

Flagellum- filamentous structure used for motion

Heliozoan- a protist with stiff radiating arms

Heterotrophic- a mode of nutrition with which the organism uses molecules created by another organism

Intracellular- inside the cell

Lorica-organic or inorganic casing or shell

Mastax- grinding structure behind the mouth of rotifers

Meiosis-two cells combine (sexual reproduction)

Mitosis-nucleus of a cell divides to create two new nuclei

Nucleus-an organelle where most of the DNA is located

Omnivore-eats bacteria, plant, other ciliates

Organelle-a structure found inside eukaryotic cells

Peristome-the area around the mouth

Phagocytosis-ingest food particles and enclose them with membrane to form food vacuoles

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Common terms

Polysaccharide-a molecule comprised of many sugar molecules. Includes cellulose and starch

Prokaryotic-cells without nucleus-bacteria

Pinocystosis-ingesting material by enclosing it within a membrane

Raptorial-organism moves around for food

Sessile-organisms that are fixed to a substrate. Stalk or lorica

Spasmoneme-contractile element in stalk

Suspension feeding-feeding on suspended particles-stalk ciliates

Test-a rigid shell around an organism

Trophic-organisms that are active and feeding

Vacuole-a cavity in the cell enclosed by a membrane(ex. food and expulsion)

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cilia

Food vacuole

cytostome cytopharynx

macronucleus

Contractile vacuole

Pellicle

micronucleus

scle@novozymes.com