Anyway I did make quite a few new slides at 5µ, which for this lichen and the paraffin technique, limited also by my own ability, has proven to be the optimum both in terms os section-quality and staining results. They are quite good really and have some new detail! I was hoping to 'drill-down' into the wax blocks that I posted early images from at the start of sectioning, in earlier posts.
Well, I pleased to say that I have been able to section through the lichen's (sexual) reproductive 'apothecia' - the cup-shaped structures that house the spores - 'ascospores' as I think they're know,n several of which are enclosed by their container - an 'ascus' - I think....
Here are a few images, first the macro image of the lichen as seen through a stereo 'scope.
The cups (apothecia) are easily spotted on the thallus of the lichen.
Then we move over to the slides made only the day before yesterday and stained with safranin and fast green or safranin and alcian-blue, as I often try several stain combinations to see which suits the slides as made....
This section through an apothecium is stained with safranin and fast-green and shows the macro-structure of the 'cup' - like a tiny volcano!
Moving in closer structures start to become visible, although not as clearly as I'd like by a long-shot....
Closer-still, the ascospores (as far as I know that's what these are - please correct if wrong...) show structure also, and this image I find quite pleasing, the slide is quite nice, not perfect, but O.K. to keep.
Quite nice to see a little detail too of some of the fungal-hyphae of the lichen, although again not enough clarity and detail for my liking...
I aslo switched briefly to phase-contrast although I have only basic phase objectives at 10x and 40x (oh and a recently acquired 100x oil).
A different view but with limitations, although I haven't really had a good look over them yet for a proper assessment.
The vertical fungal strands knwn as paraphyses when in this role of enclosing (protecting?) the asci are though quite well deliniated if not particularly detailed...
A different view,
Soooo, no decent 2µ images yet, but at least I reached the apothecia, I've quite a few blocks still unsectioned that I may have a go at in the next few days with a view perhaps to improving quality at the 4µ-5µ defacto optimum if I can't get any thinner with quality intact.
Hope you find these interesting, I certainly have as I've never even looked at lichen before this exercise began!