Greetings all, my German is poor, so I will write in English. I am an amateur microbiologist looking at several subjects. This photo below is Southern Germany rain water collected on April 14, 2010 (before the volcano eruptions) and is in nutrient agar petri dish. This was photographed on April 24, 2010 - showing 10 days growth, 100x. My question is, I keep seeing this "sphere" artifact in various experiments that seems to be everywhere. There is some sort of fungal element to it. Does anyone know what this "sphere" is in the environment, it is in the air, also.
(https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/pictures002/70312_22799036.jpg)
(Thank you, and this site and I have a translator so speak in German.)
Hello,
it looks like an air-bubble.
Do you know anything about it´s size? This would make it a lot better to identify.
Greetings
Herbert
Zitat von: Herne in August 05, 2011, 14:18:55 NACHMITTAGS
Hello,
it looks like an air-bubble.
Do you know anything about it´s size? This would make it a lot better to identify.
Greetings
Herbert
Thank you, Herbert. I don't know how to put a gauge on my photographs, all I can say is this is 100x microscopy - so for the more advanced, they should know an approximate size, I hope? These spheres are seen in all sizes; even inside amber, inside insects, inside fish, inside humans...
I assume it is some sort of gas sphere. It is not 'air' as we know it. It is the 'fungal' element that springs from it that I am more concerned about, same experiment, German rain water - 10 days growth, 100x:
(https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/pictures002/70315_62345271.jpg)
(https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/pictures002/70315_6019302.jpg)
These "spheres" have different characteristics. Some make a white 'fungus', some make a black fungus, some make a multi-colored (mostly red and blue hyphae) fungus. Could be a bacteria - don't know. Human sample, 450x:
(https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/pictures002/70316_45464793.jpg)
(https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/pictures002/70316_52117193.jpg)
Second experiment:
Cultured in potato agar on May 2, 2010, southern German rain water, photographed straight into the petri dish on May 10, 2010, at 100x, 8 days growth:
(https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/pictures002/70319_31935568.jpg)
(https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/pictures002/70319_34289888.jpg)
Hello -
you have already identified your structures correctly as "fungus" and more is not possible for the moment with your methods. Free air is always and nearly everywhere full of fungal spores which might belong to thousands of different fungus species, some of them being saprophytes, some parasites, some might be even pathogenic.
If they settle down on a moist substrate containing appropriate nutrients (like bread, jam, agar, juice, skin) they germinate to form a mycelium which may form spores again. The green or black colour of the mold on your forgotten bread slice is formed by a thick layer of spores which will be distributed by the next air current and the cycle starts anew.
Regards
Rolf