Friends,
I bought the Viscum album growing on Apple during Christmas season, made sections when the material was still relatively fresh, and had a quick look by microscope. Later I observed epiphytic lichens with apopthecia also growing on the Apple host and decided to try to embed, section and stain these also, although a bit dried out already, because I never had a chance to have a close look. The lichens in turn seem to be host to many guests: pollen of Viscum, several fungi, lots and lots of bacteria and then there were many larger cells at the outside of the lichen stalks, which I cannot identify (certainly lack of knowledge). You, being the experts in plant sciences, could possibly shed light in my darkness. Please comment on what it all could be.
Humble amateur as I am, I will be grateful for your knowledgeable remarks,
Thanks,
Leo van Griensven.
First the apothecium of the lichen (https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/pictures002/57674_29685274.jpg) and then a fragment, to show fungal mycelium and algal (?) cells (https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/pictures002/57674_9136683.jpg). The grey/greenish lichen have long stalks and several apothecia of 1-3 mm size. Apparently the lichen is rather sticky and attracts all kind of particles like what you will see here (https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/pictures002/57674_39059695.jpg) and here (https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/pictures002/57674_57943630.jpg). They look like the pollen of Viscum album of which I have shown a fluorescence picture here before (https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/pictures002/57674_26878618.jpg). I could however be completely mistaken with the identity of the particles that are adsorbed to the lichen stalk as I have no idea what the small rodlike structures at the inside of the particle wall are (https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/pictures002/57674_28281548.jpg).
What are these cells at the exterior of the lichen here ? (https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/pictures002/57674_18692805.jpg).
Thanks for all information.
P.S. My passive knowledge of the German language is fine; I am able to read without any problem. My writing in German is however a problem, mostly of time though.
Hallo Leo,
auf deinen sehr schönen Bildern kann ich folgendes erkennen:
- Apothecium mit Lagerrand (Lecanora Typ), weil im Rand des Apothecium Algen zu sehen sind
- Im Apothecium erkennt man Asci und Paraphysen, durch die Färbung sehr gut dargestellt.
- "What are these cells at the exterior of the lichen here ?" Hier ist im letzten Bild ein Soral zu erkennen. Es dient der vegetativen Fortpflanzung indem es Algen und Pilzfäden geleichzeitig verbreitet.
Sehr hilreich wäre jetzt noch ein Makrofoto des Thallus.
Hallo Ralph,
Thank you very much for your useful comment. I had not thought of a sorus because I expected a more ordered structure for that. Considering however the 3 dimensional nature of a sorus and the 2 dimensional character of my microscope slide, I am convinced you are right.
As for the macrophotography: I forgot because I just wanted to find out whether I could actually make an acceptable GMA slide of such fragile structures. It turned out they were not very fragile and cutting was not very difficult.
Next time I will do the macrophotography.
Thanks for the lesson.
Leo