“Imaging is carried out using a field emission scanning electron microscope that has an automatic microtome ,” explains Margaret. The sample is then embedded in resin and trimmed to make sure they are imaging the correct part of the leaf. They then use heavy metal staining to enhance the contrast between different structures, such as cell walls and chloroplast membranes, and to compare these with the large vacuole in the middle of the cells. Margaret and Richard take a very small sample of a leaf, replacing all of the water in the leaf sample with a chemical solution called glutaraldehyde under a gentle vacuum to fix all the structures in place. WHAT TECHNOLOGY IS INVOLVED IN CREATING THE 3D IMAGES? Margaret and Richard have developed a microscopic technique that, for the first time, enables 3D imaging of leaf cells and their organelles, including chloroplasts and mitochondria. However, the leaf interior is a complex 3D arrangement of cells and tissues that allow light capture and gas (oxygen and carbon dioxide) diffusion for photosynthesis, as well as regulation of water transport. Most of our knowledge of leaf anatomy and how this links to leaf function comes from 2D cross-sections of leaves.
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