Microscoping Techniques

Question 1

What deos the performance of a light microscope depend on? What is another name for it?

Answer 1

The performance of a light microscope, also known as an optical microscope, depends on the quality and correct use of the CONDENSOR LEST SYSTEM.

Question 2

How does a transition electron microscope function?
In what way is it better from a light microscope

Answer 2

It uses a beam of electrons, rather than light, to generate an image.
- it has HIGHER RESOLUTION that the light microscope

Question 3

What is the principle of the scanning probe microscopy?

Answer 3

A small probe is scanned over and interacts with a specimen.

Question 4

What are the thee most common types of scanning probe microscopes?

Answer 4

AFM: atomic force microscopes
MSOM/SNOM: near-field scanning optical microscopes
STM: scanning tunneling microscopes

Question 5

What can be scanned using a scanning electron microscope?

Answer 5

pollen

Question 6

What is a fluorescent microscope?

Answer 6

technique based on fluorescent staining of cellular structures or staining of antigen/antibody complex.

Question 7

What are super-resolution microscopes?

Answer 7

• use fluorescent labelled samples
• with structured illumination
• IMPROVES RESOLUTION by 2/4 times

Question 8

What are the three main parts of a plant cell?

Answer 8

• CELL WALL
• PROTOPLAST (cytoplasm, plasmalemma, tonoplast, cytosol, organelles, nucleus)
• VACUOLE

Question 9

What are the cell wall pores called in plants?

Answer 9

plasmodesmata

Question 10

What does the plasmodesmata consist of?

Answer 10

• middle lamella
• primary wall
• secondary wall
• pore membrane

Question 11

What are plasmodesmata?

Answer 11

microscopic channels which transverse the cell walls of plant cells. enabling TRANSPORT and COMMUNICATION between them.

Question 12

What are the functions of the cell wall?

Answer 12

• maintain the cell shape
• protect the cell from rupturing (by vacuum pumping water)
• give strength to cells, tissues and plants themselves,
• important in absorption, transport and excretion of substances
• protects the protoplast from damage and infection

Question 13

Label a microscope diagram.

Answer 13

.

Question 14

What is a vacuole? What is its purpose? What are they surrounded by?

Answer 14

• can make up up to 90% of the plant cell
• surrounded by the TONOPLAST
• have an aqueous liquid inside them: CELL JUICE

Question 15

What is cell juice? What does it contain?

Answer 15

Cell juice is the aqueous liquid inside the vacuole.
It contains:
- dissolved chemicals
- compounds
- water-soluble red and blue pigments

Question 16

What are the different forms of plastids?

Answer 16

1) CHROMOSPLASTS
2) LEUKOPLASTS
3) CHLOROPLASTS

Question 17

What is the structure of a chloroplast?

Answer 17

• double membrane
• stroma
• thylakoids
• granum
• stromal thyllakoild (lamellae)
• DNA
• chlorophyll
• carotenoids (carotees and xantophylls)
• enzymes
• lecithin

Question 18

What are the different functions of chloroplasts?

Answer 18

• photosynthesis
• synthesis of DNA, RNA, aminoacids and proteins
• synthesis of fatty acids, lipids, vitamins, secondary metabolites, metabolism
• main nutrient value

Question 19

What is important about plasmids?

Answer 19

they can convert into each other.

Question 20

What are chromoplasts?

Answer 20

• responsible for the distinctive colours
  (mainly because of the accumulation of carotenoid pigments).
• different in shape (depending on the crystalization of pigments)

Question 21

What happens during ripening (eg. in an apple)?

Answer 21

chloroplasts are converted into chromoplasts.

Question 22

What are the functions of chromoplasts?

Answer 22

• attract insects (pollinators)
• attract birds and mammals (seed dispersal)
• important in diet
• medical importance
• make plants decorative

Question 23

What are leukoplasts? What is a different name of them? What is their function?

Answer 23

also called “GERONTOPLASTS”

• colourless plastids,

FUNCTION:
- storage and accumulation of nutrients
- plants look more decorative

Question 24

What does the conversion of plastids depend on?

Answer 24

the growing conditions (eg. seasons= water availability, sun availability, temperature, etc.)