13
TIP!
Bubbles of air in the
microscope slide can
interfere with your viewing.
Almost all specimens
should lie in water in order
to yield a really good
image. You can easily get
rid of air bubbles by placing
a drop of water along one
edge of the cover slip with
the pipette, and then
holding a piece of blotting
paper or paper towel along
the opposite edge. That will
pull the drop of water under
the cover slip and the
bubbles will disappear.
Repeat if necessary…
Plant Cells
Waterwe
ed cells
Draparnaldia alga
e
The green color of plant cells comes
from tiny leaf-green structures that
biologists call
chloroplasts.
You can
very easily study the way these green
granules look and move in the elodea
“waterweed,” a common aquarium
plant. Its leaves consist of just two
layers of cells, so they can be viewed
directly under the microscope without
any preparation. If you happen to know
someone who owns an aquarium, just
ask for a little branch of
waterweed.
Or
you can ask for one in an aquarium or
pet supply store. Either elodea or egeria,
another closely related waterweed
species, would work.
