Yesterday I made myself a microtome based on the OPN microtome. I think it was someone here who pointed me to the original design a little while ago, but I can't find it back now. It turned out to be incredibly easy to make: two and a half minutes laser cutting time and glueing the thing together.
I tried just now how well it would work and I am amazed. Even if not perfect yet (on the first attempt), the results are better by classes than what I used to cut.
I made cross sections through the pinnae rachis of the fern Dryopteris cambrensis. It's about these that I do have a question:
Now zoom in to the dark cells in the rightmoset section:
I think these cells are in the process of being sklerified, that is: hardened into a fiber to support the construction of the plant. What I wonder about is what the tiny dots are, visible in some of the cells. Would it be transporting tissue, I'd say pits. But in a fiber cell that seems unlikely, or is it?
Any suggestions what these dots might be?
pitted fibre cells
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- iconoclastica
- Posts: 486
- Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2016 12:34 pm
- Location: Wageningen, Gelderland
pitted fibre cells
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- iconoclastica
- Posts: 486
- Joined: Sat Jun 25, 2016 12:34 pm
- Location: Wageningen, Gelderland
Re: pitted fibre cells
Sections are getting so thin now, I've got to stain them.
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