Pictured: Amy Vazquez, Kaden Groda, Garrett Phillips, Honors Biology Professor Dr. Chris McAllister, and Alison Majors Collecting Samples
By: Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director
According to Tardigrade specialist, Baker University Biologist, Dr. William Miller, it is official. Students of NTCC’s Dr. Chris McAllister have found the first samples of a microscopic animal, the Tardigrade, in this area of Northeast Texas.
Sometimes known as the “moss piglet,” the tardigrade reaches a height of half a millimeter, which is barely visible but not discernable without a microscope. It craves environments of moss and lichen. The trees of NTCC—the campus was declared a “Tree Campus USA in 2018 and 2019 by the National Arbor Day Foundation—have many specimens especially rich in moss and lichen. On 4 October, the Biology honors group looked for more samples close to home, recording the habitats by tree type, height, and direction. The eventual hope is to learn more about the various Tardigrade species that interact in the local environment.
Dr. McAllister noted that the tardigrade “is one of the toughest animals on earth. It could probably survive a nuclear war. Some have already survived in space, and some have been left on the moon, waiting for rescue. When its habitat dries out, as it frequently can during Northeast Texas summers, the Tardigrade can lose 97 percent of its water and still survive.”
Division Chair, Dr. Lesa Presley notes that she is very “excited about the possibilities for biological research at NTCC. Students with the right guidance can uncover all kinds of novelties that can tell us a great deal too about our region of the country.”
Perla Guzman and Fernanda Melendez Aleman
Quite a few students in Honors Biology have long-term interests in the field, and stand to benefit as more discoveries are made. Michelle Mejia, a salutatorian from Como Pickton, is a biology major. Perla Guzman, the 2023 Mount Pleasant salutatorian, has a strong commitment to medicine as do Fernanda Aleman, a number-two student at Harts Bluff, and Amy Vazquez, also, like Perla, a top 2023 graduate of Mount Pleasant High School.
Honors Director, Dr. Andrew Yox commented, “I think we might consider the Tardigrade as a potential new NTCC mascot. Of course, we would need President Clinton to compose a new school song, for starters. Our wonderful trees on campus appear to have all kinds of favorable habitats for the cute little being, and it seems to be super resilient.”
