Desmids are unicellular micro-organisms belonging to the green algal families of Mesotaeniaceae and Desmidiaceae. They occur in standing freshwaters. The Desmids on the images are found in a fen in Limburg, the most southern province of The Netherlands.
Although ranking among the microbes as real giants, even the largest representatives are hardly to be seen with the unaided eye. So, for studying them a microscope is indispensable. Only under the microscope it appears how aesthetically appealing most of the species are. The bright-green cells show a remarkable symmetry. Here, under the fluorescence microscope, using blue light excitation, we see another colored picture of course.
Actually, each cell consists of two half cells being mirror images of one another. In the connecting bridge between the half-cells the cellular nucleus is situated, but usually this is only to be seen by means of specific dyes. In this case the fluorescent dye Acridine Orange has been used, which attaches to the genetic material (DNA) present in the nucleus of the algae.
Source: www.desmids.nl
© www.willemsmicroscope.com
No comments:
Post a Comment