A shot of the termite's digestive system, with wood particles floating nearby.
A shot of the termite's internal protozoa.
Symbiosis is a mutually beneficial relationship between two different organisms. For example, the relationship between the clown fish and the anemone is symbiotic because the clown fish gains protection from the anemone and the anemone gets cleaned when the clown fish eats particles caught in the tentacles. The termite has a similar relationship with protozoa, which are tiny single cell organisms. The termite eats wood, which passes into the termite's digestive tract where the protozoa live. The protozoa consume the wood particles and produce acetate, which the termite uses for nutrition. The termite gains a food processor and the protozoa gain food and shelter.
To study these protozoa, we had to go into the termite's digestive tract. First, we removed this with two pairs of forceps. We then put the digestive tract into saline and placed it on a slide. We put the slide on a microscope and looked for the protozoa.
I though the lab was rather interesting. I haven't seen anything as lively as the protozoa were under the microscope. It wasn't fun removing the digestive tract though.
