The second video in my series on Soil Microscopy is now available on the videos page. The theme is Protists (sometimes called Protozoa). There are three main types of Protist which form part of the Soil Food Web family; these are Amoeba, Flagellates and Ciliates. They are much smaller than the nematodes, if you have a good eye you can spot them at 100 fold magnification but they are best viewed at 400 fold magnification (or higher).
I have tried to capture the Protists in their various forms (testate, encysted and naked) to give you a sense of what you might expect to see under the microscope.
Hopefully you find the video a useful guide for your own exploration of soil ecosystems – Enjoy!
Heather Comina 