Activity 2: Preparation of Wet Mounts

Question 1

plays an important role in the understanding of plant biology

Answer 1

plant anatomy

Question 2

suspended in a drop of liquid (usually water) between the slide and cover glass

Answer 2

specimen

Question 3

improves the quality and supports the specimen

Answer 3

refractive index of water

Question 4

• cannot be stored over extended periods
• sometimes referred to as a “temporary mount”

Answer 4

wet mounts

Question 5

scientific names of the following:

onion
carrot
kangkong

Answer 5

Allium cepa
Daucus carota
Ipomoea aquatica

Question 6

• an important core subject in the study of biology, especially plant biology.

Answer 6

plant anatomy

Question 7

____________ plays a significant role in regulating development.

Answer 7

environment

Question 8

Most plant parts are too thick to be mounted intact and viewed with a microscope.

To study the plant body’s structural organization, ________ must be made so that enough light can be transmitted through the specimen to resolve cell structures under the microscope.

Answer 8

sections

Question 9

• simplest method of preparing specimens for microscopic viewing
• allows one to examine the specimen in a few minutes
• suitable for various plant materials, such as soft herbaceous stems and small woody twigs.

“Patience, experience, and perhaps inherent skill are the chief requirements” for this technique (Berlyn and Miksche, 1976).

Answer 9

free-hand section methods

Question 10

challenging to obtain by hand without supporting material, as small stem and root pieces are difficult to hold with one’s finger.

However, by cutting a ______________ into the pith support (see figure below), it is possible to hold the tissue firmly for free hand sections.

Answer 10

longitudinal sections

v-shaped notch

Question 11

The cover glass floats and moves

Answer 11

due too much water

remove water with tissue paper

Question 12

The liquid streams and does not settle

Answer 12

due to evaporation

add more water between the coverslip and slide

Question 13

Air bubbles start to become visible

Answer 13

if dae man present ang air bubbles before, ibig sabihon kayan

indicate oxygen production due to photosynthesis

Question 14

Air bubbles are present

Answer 14

• cover glass was not lowered from the side at an angle but placed horizontally on the water drop
• may also be that the specimen is hydrophobic (fatty) and /or fluffy
• water may have problems reaching all of the areas of the specimen, and there is much air caught by the fine structures.

Question 15

Coverslip placement

Answer 15

• Lower the cover slip on the water droplet with an angle.
• This permits air to escape on one side.

Question 16

Water placement

Answer 16

• if the specimen is not fully submerged in the water droplet, add another droplet on top of the specimen before lowering the cover slip.
• Alternatively, you can place a drop of water on the coverslip before it is lowered on the specimen.

Question 17

Alternative mounting medium

Answer 17

• Use a mounting medium other than water.
• Try immersion oil, nail polish, or Euparal as a mounting medium.
• These mediums are hydrophobic and may therefore interact better with other hydrophobic specimens.

Question 18

Break the surface tension

Answer 18

• Add a small amount of detergent, such as soap.

This will break the surface tension of the water.

The water will therefore adhere better to some specimens, thus preventing bubbles.

Question 19

Apply a vacuum

Answer 19

You can remove air bubbles by placing the slide into a vacuum.

The bubbles will expand and move out beneath the cover glass.

Question 20

Dehydrate the specimen

Answer 20

Place the specimen into alcohol. Some specimens will shrink and lose water and air.

By placing the specimen into the water again, the specimen will take up the water.

Question 21

Remove oil and fat

Answer 21

Wash the specimen in alcohol.

This will make the specimen less hydrophobic.

Question 22

Add water

Answer 22

Air bubbles also form when the water starts to dry up.

If the air bubble is large and reaches the side of the cover glass, you can add more water from the side of the cover glass.