Moina : a model system

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@drishtantmkawale

What is the update on Moina? What is the status of moina tank? how many numbers present?
Are you able to increase numbers of moina? What are your further objectives?
Please send daily report and plan of work…
Eagerly looking forward to…

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Our objective was to check whether the moinas survive in distilled water with milk and without milk both.
The moinas did not survive in distilled water in all 4 test tubes.

My hypothesis is that as there were no minerals (Ca, Mg, Na…) and nutrition (bacteria…) in the distilled water the moinas died.

I was expecting them to survive in the test tubes which had milk for atleast one day. As milk has bacteria and other nutrition. But later I understood that even the bacteria from the milk need to survive in the Distilled water as they need nutrition too. Although their (bacteria) nutrition was present in the form of protein (casein), carbohydrate (lactose) they died, as they too did not get minerals.
Bacterias, like all living organisms need minerals to drive their biochemical processes (building proteins). They require sources of Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Iron…

So as the bacterias didn’t survive and hence moinas did not survive.

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Can you check for the amounts of particular minerals essential for lactobacillus bacteria which would prove your hypothesis if this minerals are found to be scarce. I have provided a paper stating the required minerals for lactic acid producing or based bacteria

J. Biol. Chem.-1947-MacLeod-351-65.pdf (874.8 KB)

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CUBE Elphinstone College
Moina Group

Short term Objective: To have a Monoxenic culture of Moinas

Long term objective: To study histone remodelling in Moina via Haemoglobin protein expression through epigenetics.

Immediate Objective: To culture moinas

On 9 September 2019, bottles D1, D2(replica), S1, M1(replica) were prepared by taking 250ml DC water in 4 bottles + 5 moinas in each + 1 drop-in D1, D2 and 4 drops in S1 and M1 and on 13 September 2019
Bottles S13 and S2 were prepared with the same protocol as above by adding 250ml DC Water + 10 Moinas + 1 drop of milk in each.

Today’s observations:
D1 ~ 20 moinas
D2 ~ 30-40 moinas
M1 ~ 80-100 moinas
S1 ~ 120 moinas
S13 ~ 60 moinas
S2 ~ 70 moinas
6L Tank Culture ~ 250 moinas

Monday’s expectations:
D1 ~ 20 moinas
D2 ~ 70 moinas
M1 ~ 30 moinas
S1 ~ 80 moinas
S13 ~ 70 moinas
S2 ~ 70 moinas
6L Tank Culture ~ 300+ moinas

These bottles and tank are kept in our college lab.

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CUBE Elphinstone
Moina Group

This is the Moina Growth Kinetics from 9 September 2019 to 19 September 2019.

I think when there is an increase in the Moina count (crowding) and when we feed the moinas, the condition for them becomes stress condition i.e. crowding + number of organisms through milk increase because of which the moinas have to compete for oxygen so their number decreases. I have observed this in my previous cultures but data is not available for them.

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You should also find a way to monitor the oxygen levels in the water. It would be a strong evidence for this hypothesis and it could also help in creating an accurate Model of Moinas.

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That’s what I thought yesterday!!

Yeah, I am thinking of adding less milk after there is an increase in their number.
Like, instead of 6 drops of milk I’ll add maybe 3 drops of milk.
This may also affect the red moinas (if present).
I’ll give this a try for sure!!

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Great representation of data @drishtantmkawale , the graph shows that tank cultures have better growth rate as compared to bottle cultures? Is it true?
How many moina did you add initially in bottles and tank?
Are you adding same milk concentrations in bottles and milk? are they comparative to each other?

Why do you think rate of growth is different in tank and bottles?

What is your expectation? till when will their numbers go on increasing?
Will it decrease first in tank or in bottles?
When they will start decreasing in each of them?

Can you develop some methods to estimate oxygen and other wastes, which @pratittodkar was refering to and try to build and start in your college along with collaborating with Pratit who will be starting in his own college?

What is required to measure waste products, how can we do it in any simple college lab?

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Yes, the tank cultures have a better growth rate as compared to bottle cultures.

Bottle D1, D2, M1 and S1 had ~5 Moinas, S13 and S2 had ~10 Moinas and the 6L Tank Culture had ~30-40 Moinas initially.

The Moinas in the bottles D1, D2, S13 and S2 are fed with 1 drop of milk, M1 and S1 are fed with 4 drops of milk (all with 250ml of DC water) and the 6L Tank Culture is fed with 10 drops of milk (to be clear, no specific calculation was done for adding 10 drops of milk in the tank).

I think of no specific reason but the surface area of the bottles and the tank comes to my mind as soon as I think of their growth rate.

I think until the same condition is maintained, their numbers will increase. When there will be any stress condition like crowding, the moinas will need to compete for oxygen so their numbers will decrease. And it also depends on the life span of the moinas (usually 11-15 days depending on the conditions). So, I can expect a decrease in their number on maybe Monday itself.

I think it will decrease in the bottles first.

Yeah, we are trying to find out methods to estimate oxygen and other wastes. Will collaborate with @pratittodkar

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You can try narrowing the surface are of the tank to confirm it.

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Great work :clap::ok_hand::+1: @drishtantmkawale

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Great, eagerly looking forward to ways and principle which can be used to estimate ammonia, estimate oxygen, estimate bacterial count.

Why not involve more cubists in this challenges from your colleges?

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Even I think about the surface area which me and @spandan got to know from @GN…he told us that, in the same 750ml bottle where we put only 250 ml of DC water if we put 500ml of DC water we could get twice the moina than before…why ?? Because now they have more surface area ,there are more number of moinas.

It could be a reason that because of overcrowding the moina count is less… Could it be like that the moina won’t give progenies just because of the reason that if it gives birth to young ones then there would be shortage of food ?(as already the surface area is less and moina count in bottle is more ) Just a random thought. Could this be a reason?
@drishtantmkawale @pratittodkar @jaikishan @Akshitha what are your views on this ?

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Could you please tell us too how did you make this graph ? How did you make statistics for your data?

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How will surface area of 250ml and 500ml water, in a 750ml bottle be different, when the bottle is same?

Do you think, moina think so much before laying progenies? or are you putting your motives to moina?

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Good for a thought!! @Sjuday2527, it can be thought of as a reason. But as @jaikishan sir said, do moinas think so much before laying progenies!!

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What about this?
Site: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa024

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Ok fine!!
They think only and only when there are adverse conditions. But yes, this is applicable when there are more moinas in the bottle, what happens when the culture is not too old??
They will keep laying progenies right?

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What do we call few <10/liter or <20/liter or <5/liter ?

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