English: Production of a native microscope slide from the phylloid of Sphagnum sp.

Species of the genus Sphagnum are mosses that belong to the group of foliose mosses. Phylloids in species of this genus are made up of two types of cells: dead and living cells, arranged in a single layer. Living cells are elongated thin cells, rich in plastids. The process of photosynthesis takes place in them. They go around the dead cells that have the function of storing water. Dead cells allow the plant to store water up to 20 times its dry weight. They are also called hyaline (cartilaginous) cells. They are perforated with pores and reinforced with ring or spiral structures.

To make a native microscope slide of phylloid of Sphagnum sp. the following is needed: object and cover glass, a water dropper, tweezer and a sample of the plant material. The manufacturing procedure is as follows. On the object glass, with the water dropper, a larger drop of water is dropped centrally and a smaller drop of water is placed peripherally. With tweezers, one phylloid is carefully detached from the side branches. The phylloid is placed in the central drop of water on the object glass. With a cover glass, placed at an angle of 45⸰, the peripheral drop of water is stretched towards the central one. After joining them, the cover glass is lowered onto the object glass. The native microscope slide, prepared like this, is ready for microscope. The observation of dead and living cells starts from the lowest magnification, i.e. at a magnification of 40 times, then at a magnification of 100 times and finally the cells can be viewed in more detail at a magnification of 400 times.

Prepared and performed by Angela Ivanova, Institute of Biology, FNSM, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Macedonia.