Bryophytes

[Ken Ramos]

While out birding and watching squirrles do their thing, I happened up on an old decaying log with numerous clumps of moss growing all over it, which is not unusual when treking through the woodlands. Anyway, the thought of the micro insects that I have been finding among samples of moss came to mind, so I took my pocket knife and removed a generous portion of the moss to bring in and examine using the Meiji stereomicroscope.



Amblystegium varium, spore capsules @ 10X, Fig. 1 Although I did not find any of the little insects that I was hoping for, I thought that this made a nice photograph just the same showing the tiny spore capsules attached to the seta and displaying their peristomes. The peristomes are the teeth like projections on the ends of the capsules, they control spore release.

Sony DSC W5 @ 5mgp (STD) Program mode
1/8 sec. @ f/2.8 ISO 100
Meiji EMZ-13TR Stereomicroscope w/built in halogen illuminator and blue light diffuser



Amblystegium varium spore capsule, showing peristome @ approx. 40X, Fig. 2 Here you can get a much better look at the peristome. Normally it is hidden underneath a leafy sheath, of which I have forgotten the technical name for. I am only assuming that my identification of this species of moss is correct. I retrived it from a wesite on Bryophytes hosted by a university which has image galleries of different moss species and Amblystegium varium was the closest match out of those images.

Sony DSC W5 @ 5mgp (STD) Program mode
1/2 sec. @ f/2.8 ISO 100
Meiji EMZ-13TR Stereomicroscope w/built in halogen illuminator and blue light diffuser

[rjlittlefield]

Ken, somehow these pictures strike me as sort of "friendly". Like that moss would be a pleasant place to just hang out in, maybe take a nap. Maybe it's the green. Or maybe it's the absence of slashing, stinging, biting, piercing, clutching stuff that shows up so much in the macro forum.

I'm not quite sure how to interpret "10X" and "40X". Can you translate those into field width for me? What does a millimeter scale look like at those magnifications?

--Rik

[Ken Ramos]

The dreamy green backgrounds are soothing and the browns give one the feeling of warmth and of course the subject itself lends to a pleasant and comfortable cushion upon which to lie. There is something comforting about a lush bed of moss and it is home to countless tiny creatures.

Rik asked:

I'm not quite sure how to interpret "10X" and "40X". Can you translate those into field width for me? What does a millimeter scale look like at those magnifications?

Well I really can't help you there Rik. I have read a little on microscopic field measurements but my mathmatical abilities are quite lacking but yet I can understand nuclear physics I dunno? I am an odd sort I suppose. The only way I know to put it is that the first image shows the subject at 10 times its normal size and 40 times in the other. I know that is probably not a suitable explaination but...

As for the slashing, biting, stinging, piercing, clutching, stabbing, random gunfire and street violence over in the Macro Forums, yeah it is a pretty pleasant change.

Thanks Rik

[rjlittlefield]

Rik asked:

I'm not quite sure how to interpret "10X" and "40X". Can you translate those into field width for me? What does a millimeter scale look like at those magnifications?

Well I really can't help you there Rik.

I'm not a rocket scientist either, Ken. Fortunately, I think a paper glider will work here. Just find a millimeter scale, stick it under the microscope, take a couple of pictures of it, and tell me how many tick marks there are across the width of the picture. I'm guessing the answer is around 4mm at 40X, but for some reason I'd like to know for sure.

--Rik

[Ken Ramos]

Rik said:

I'm guessing the answer is around 4mm at 40X, but for some reason I'd like to know for sure.

You were not far off on the 40X field Rik. It is exactly 5mm through the Meiji @ 40X, 20mm @ 10X

[rjlittlefield]

Ken, thanks for the info. So then, your 10X is real close to what I get with a macro lens at 1:1 onto the 22mm sensor of my Canon 300D. A useful calibration point. (It must be useful... Somehow... Otherwise I wouldn't have asked... Would I?)

--Rik

[gslaten]

Very nice Ken. The first one looks like flowers hanging from a tree branch and I really like the combination of colors. Very interesting subject.

Gary

[Ken Ramos]

Rik wrote:

So then, your 10X is real close to what I get with a macro lens at 1:1 onto the 22mm sensor of my Canon 300D. A useful calibration point. (It must be useful... Somehow... Otherwise I wouldn't have asked... Would I?)

I don't know much about ratios but I noticed that most stereomicroscope images are about the same as those produced by most macro camera lenses as far as magnification goes.

Gary wrote:

Very nice Ken. The first one looks like flowers hanging from a tree branch and I really like the combination of colors. Very interesting subject.

For some reason Gary, mosses (to me anyway) seem to have an attraction. They are among some of the first land plants and their reproduction cycle is quite interesting but there is just something about them that makes you want to look closer at them and investigate their surroundings. There are many different species of moss and all are really quite beautiful and they are home for some very interesting small, near microscopic, insects and other minute forms of life. Thanks Gary.