Plant Microscope Exercise
Available prepared slides:
1. monocot and dicot root (on one slide)
2. buttercup stem (you determine - monocot or dicot?)
3. monocot (lily) and dicot (lilac) leaves (on one slide)
Include:
1. monocot and dicot root (on one slide)
2. buttercup stem (you determine - monocot or dicot?)
3. monocot (lily) and dicot (lilac) leaves (on one slide)
Include:
- meaningful title/caption
- labelled drawings, including magnification (drawings should be from the slides - not the images below or from the internet)
- identification of sample tissue (by binomial nomenclature when possible)
- size measurements using mm ruler guide, showing procedure and sample calculations
Dicot and Monocot Stem cross sections:
the dicot vascular bundle can be complicated:
basic xylem and phloem
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reinforced with (sclerenchyma) fibers
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Dicot and Monocot Root cross sections:
dicot root
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monocot root
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Dicot and Monocot leaf cross sections - note the differences in arrangement of internal layers of cells...
a little more on lily leaves and variability...
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click to enlarge - note the reference to dicot like leaves in an otherwise typical monocot
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Epidermal Peels (not a spa treatment)
Following the instructions in the diagram below, prepare a wet mount of the lower epidermis of a succulent leaf.
- Identify the stomata. Are they open or closed? What does this mean about the environmental conditions faced by the plant?
- What regulation exists for the opening and closing of the guard cells around the stomata? Think about both environmental and biochemical cues.
- Do you see any leaf hairs like the one in the image on the right below? Why or why not?
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Bonus:
What type of plant do you think may have been the source of the stem cross section on the left below? What might its habitat have been like?
