The dissection of a stem

Question 1

Briefly outline how you would dissect a stem

Answer 1

1) Cut thin perpendicular slices of celery
2) Use forceps to lift the transverse sections into a small beaker containing tap water and leave to soak
3) Lift into a watch glass and leave them in the stain for 1 minute
4) Lift back into water to rinse off excess stain
5) Place a transverse section on a microscope slide
6) Add water + coverslip

Question 2

What does the watch glass contain?

Answer 2

Toluidine blue

Question 3

Why is it important to produce thin slices of plant tissue?

Answer 3

To allow the whole section to be stained so that we can see the structure of celery clearly. Light microscope.

Question 4

Why is it important that the sections aren’t cut at an angle?

Answer 4

May not be able to identify the xylem and phloem

Question 5

Why are stains useful in microscopy?

Answer 5

Allow us to see different components more clearly

Question 6

Why is Toluidine blue useful for this protocol?

Answer 6

Toluidine blue can absorb different colours