Module 2 notes Flashcards
(182 cards)
light microscope
- poor resolution, long wavelength
- living samples, colour image
TEM (transmission electron microscope)
- high magnification & resolution
- electrons pass through specimen
SEM (scanning electron microscope)
- high magnification & resolution
- electrons bounce off surface of specimen
laser scanning confocal microscope
- high resolution, 3D imaging
- laser light
resolution
minimum distance between 2 objects in which they can still be viewed as separate
magnification
how many times larger the image is compared to the object
slide preparation for light microscopes
- dry mount- slices or whole specimens viewed, with just coverslip placed on top, e.g. plant tissue or hair
- wet mount- water or stain added to specimen before lowering coverslip with mounted needle to prevent air bubbles forming, e.g. aquatic organisms
- squash slide- wet mounts which you push down on the coverslip to squash sample and get thin layer, e.g. root tip squash- mitosis
- smear slide- placing a drop of sample at one end of slide and using edge of another slide at angle to smear sample across slide- coverslip placed on top, e.g. blood cells
eye piece graticule
used to measure the size of objects you are viewing under the microscope
magnification calculation
magnification = size of image/size of real object
differential staining
many chemical stains used to stain different parts of a cell in different colours
examples of stains
- crystal violet or methylene blue- positively charged so stain negatively charged materials
- nigrosin and congo red- negatively charged so cannot enter cells as cytosol repels them- creates stained background so unstained cells stand out
electron microscopes
- a beam of electrons has a very short wavelength which gives high resolution- meaning that small organelles and internal structures can be visualised
- image created using electromagnet to focus beam of negatively charged electrons
- electrons absorved by air- EM must be in vacuum to prevent this- therefore can’t examine living specimens
- image black and white
TEM
- thin specimens stained and placed in vacuum
- electron gun produces beam of electrons that passes through specimen
- some parts of specimen absorb electrons- appear darker
- image produced is 2D- detailed images of internal structure of cells
SEM
- specimens don’t need to be thin as electrons beamed onto surface and scattered in different ways depending on contours
- produces 3D image of surface of specimen
structure of nucleus
- nuclear envelope- double membrane
- nuclear pores
- nucleoplasm- granular, jelly-like material
- chromosomes- protein-bound, linear DNA
- nucleolus- smaller sphere inside which is site of rRNA production and makes ribosomes
function of nucleus
- site of DNA replication and transcription (making mRNA)
- contains the DNA for each cell
- site of ribosome synthesis
structure of flagella
- whip like structure
function of flagella
- for mobility, and sometimes as a sensory organelle for chemical stimuli
stucture of cilia
- hairlike projections out of cells
function of cilia
- can be mobile or stationary
- mobile help move substances in sweeping motion
- stationary are important in sensory organs such as nose
structure of centrioles
- made of microtubules
- occur in pairs to form centrosome
fucntion of centrioles
- involved in production of spindle fibre and organisation of chromosomes in cell division
stucture of cytoskeleton
- network of fibres found within the cytoplasm all over a cell
- consists of microfilaments, microtubules and intermediate fibres
function of cytoskeleton
- provides mechanical strength to cells, helps maintain the shape and stability of a cell
- many organelles are bound to cytoskelton
- microfilaments are responsible for cell movement
- microtubules are responsible for creating a scaffold-like structure
- intermediate fibres provide mechanical strength