Desirée on Instagram: "The termite hindgut contains loads of flagellated protozoans and they are aMaZiNg. There’s also bacteria and archaea but l’m way more fascinated with the protists. The hindgut microbiome in termites breaks down the cellulose in the wood termites eat. However, when termites molt, the lining of their gut is shed, which means the beneficial protozoans and other microbes go with it. They lose their entire microbiome with every shed! It is nutritionally imperative that the micr

Desirée on Instagram: "If you’re thirsty they’re thirsty! Water your stentors. This little friend was super smooshed under the coverslip causing it to spread out and lose volume. Once I added water it lifted the coverslip slightly and let our friend get back to a more natural shape. More smoosh = better detail but a less natural view. Olympus BX51 with DIC iPhone 14 Pro Max + iLabCam Ultra"