Old Diatom Slide From Drawer
Old Diatom Slide From Drawer
Hi all, a few images to share.
As most know, my area is Botanical, but I've been rummaging through some rarely-opened drawers and boxes in my lab with a view to tidying-up (or at least trying to...).
Anyway I found an old slide with Diatoms on it that I must have acquired with some of the old mixtures I occasionally buy just to 'have a look'... They're not arranged, but are in a 'big mixed slab' as it were, in what I think those here call a 'strew'?
Here are a few images, all with a little PP - mainly a light sharpen and 'cleanup' of the rather mucky background. Using a dry 60x 0.9 objective - I don't have the glorious DIC (couldn't get close to affording this I'm afraid) that produces such incredibly sharp images often seen here, but with brightfield, a little oblique, addidtion of a green 550nm interference filter and shooting in mono, I'm happy-enough with these few.
I don't know the ID/s of these but do plan to add some measurements of their features today; any ideas appreciated.
First one - apologies for the relatively basic images....
Oblique makes this one look concave - I've no idea if this is simply an artefact or an accurate representation of the Diatom's form?
Same type I think.....
Here's a broken one, again no ID I'm afraid.
A bit of oblique/darkfield.
Not sure of the accuracy again of the apparent structure, but interesting.
Measurements - hopefully correct....
UPDATE - WRONG MEASUREMENT - TOO SMALL BY FACTOR OF 4! SORRY.... SEE LATER REVISED VERSION.
Another nteresting view - is the form real though, or an artefact of capture and PP?
As most know, my area is Botanical, but I've been rummaging through some rarely-opened drawers and boxes in my lab with a view to tidying-up (or at least trying to...).
Anyway I found an old slide with Diatoms on it that I must have acquired with some of the old mixtures I occasionally buy just to 'have a look'... They're not arranged, but are in a 'big mixed slab' as it were, in what I think those here call a 'strew'?
Here are a few images, all with a little PP - mainly a light sharpen and 'cleanup' of the rather mucky background. Using a dry 60x 0.9 objective - I don't have the glorious DIC (couldn't get close to affording this I'm afraid) that produces such incredibly sharp images often seen here, but with brightfield, a little oblique, addidtion of a green 550nm interference filter and shooting in mono, I'm happy-enough with these few.
I don't know the ID/s of these but do plan to add some measurements of their features today; any ideas appreciated.
First one - apologies for the relatively basic images....
Oblique makes this one look concave - I've no idea if this is simply an artefact or an accurate representation of the Diatom's form?
Same type I think.....
Here's a broken one, again no ID I'm afraid.
A bit of oblique/darkfield.
Not sure of the accuracy again of the apparent structure, but interesting.
Measurements - hopefully correct....
UPDATE - WRONG MEASUREMENT - TOO SMALL BY FACTOR OF 4! SORRY.... SEE LATER REVISED VERSION.
Another nteresting view - is the form real though, or an artefact of capture and PP?
Last edited by mrsonchus on Fri Aug 21, 2020 7:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.
John B
Re: Old Diatom Slide From Drawer
Very nice images !
The distance of 2.98 um indicates a very high density of stria (~39/10um).
The distance of 2.98 um indicates a very high density of stria (~39/10um).
Re: Old Diatom Slide From Drawer
Picking up some very nice detail - the dark side will get you yet!
Zeiss Standard WL (somewhat fashion challenged) & Wild M8
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)
Re: Old Diatom Slide From Drawer
ARRRGGHHHHH! Never - leaves for ever! (although these Diatom-thingies are quite nice...)
Thanks both for your comments.
John B
Re: Old Diatom Slide From Drawer
Hi John,
with a tungsten carbide knife it might be possible to section them and very little work has been done on staining them!
Bob
with a tungsten carbide knife it might be possible to section them and very little work has been done on staining them!
Bob
Re: Old Diatom Slide From Drawer
Aha! I thought the measured diatom was a little small....
I think I must have cropped the image while PP.
Here's what I think is the uncropped and correctly-measured version - 4x the size at 80+µ (oops )
Anyone have any ID ideas please?
I think I must have cropped the image while PP.
Here's what I think is the uncropped and correctly-measured version - 4x the size at 80+µ (oops )
Anyone have any ID ideas please?
John B
Re: Old Diatom Slide From Drawer
I think you're right! It seems I may well have cropped this one during PP - see revised measurement of 85µ....
John B
Re: Old Diatom Slide From Drawer
Here's another one - trying-out ToupView's measuring features again.
John B
Re: Old Diatom Slide From Drawer
Cheers!
The first one (the elongated) looks very much like Navicula digitoradiata
Longueur : 88 microm.
Largeur : 13,8microm.
10-11 stries / 10 microm.
(from a collection of Mediterranean diatom photos).
The first one (the elongated) looks very much like Navicula digitoradiata
Longueur : 88 microm.
Largeur : 13,8microm.
10-11 stries / 10 microm.
(from a collection of Mediterranean diatom photos).
Re: Old Diatom Slide From Drawer
Looks very, very like it Hobby' - here's a link with a good likeness...
It also seems to have an appropriate (species) name!
Many thanks!
John B
Re: Old Diatom Slide From Drawer
Thank you, John B for the link to this BC site!
It helps a lot to see diatoms as found by simple optical microscopy, together with their ID.
Page saved.
It helps a lot to see diatoms as found by simple optical microscopy, together with their ID.
Page saved.
Re: Old Diatom Slide From Drawer
Beautiful photos!
Re: Old Diatom Slide From Drawer
Very pleasant images