This easy-to-follow manual describes tested procedures used to prepare biological samples for scanning and transmission electron microscopy, as well as methods for cytochemistry, immunocytochemistry, and scientific photography. The work is structured to clearly define testing objectives, necessary materials, procedural steps, and expected results; a list of references and trouble shooting techniques round out the text.

Electron microscopy is frequently portrayed as a discipline that stands alone, separated from molecular biology, light microscopy, physiology, and biochemistry, among other disciplines. It is also presented as a technically demanding discipline operating largely in the sphere of "black boxes" and governed by many absolute laws of procedure. At the introductory level, this portrayal does the discipline and the student a disservice. The instrumentation we use is complex, but ultimately understandable and, more importantly, repairable. The procedures we employ for preparing tissues and cells are not totally understood, but enough information is available to allow investigators to make reasonable choices concerning the best techniques to apply to their parti cular problems. There are countless specialized techniques in the field of electron and light microscopy that require the acquisition of specialized knowledge, particularly for interpretation of results (electron tomography and energy dispersive spectroscopy immediately come to mind), but most laboratories possessing the equipment to effect these approaches have specialists to help the casual user. The advent of computer operated electron microscopes has also broadened access to these instruments, allowing users with little technical knowledge about electron microscope design to quickly become operators. This has been a welcome advance, because earlier instru ments required a level of knowledge about electron optics and vacuum systems to produce optimal photographs and to avoid "crashing" the instruments that typically made it difficult for beginners.

For this new edition, the chapters on photography and the electron microscope have been completely rewritten and two new chapters have been added--on immuno electron microscopy using colloidal gold and on useful specialized techniques.

Hands-on experimentalists describe the cutting-edge microscopical methods needed for the effective study of plant cell biology today. These powerful techniques, all described in great detail to ensure successful experimental results, range from light microscope cytochemistry, autoradiography, and immunocytochemistry, to recent developments in fluorescence, confocal, and dark-field microscopies. Important advances in both conventional and scanning electron microscopies are also fully developed, together with such state-of-the-art ancillary techniques as high-resolution autoradiography, immunoelectron microscopy, X-ray microanalysis, and electron systems imaging. Easy-to-use and up-to-date, Methods in Plant Electron Microscopy and Cytochemistry offers today's plant scientists a first class collection of readily reproducible light and electron microscopical methods that will prove the new standard for all working in the field.

The first edition of this book was widely praised as an excellent introduction to electron microscopy for materials scientists, physicists, earth and biological scientists. This completely revised new edition contains expanded coverage of existing topics and much new material. The author presents the subject of electron microscopy in a readable way, open both to those inexperienced in the technique, and also to practising electron microscopists. The coverage has been brought completely up to date, whilst retaining descriptions of early classic techniques. Currently live topics such as computer control of microscopes, energy-filtered imaging, cryo- and environmental microscopy, digital imaging, and high resolution scanning and transmission microscopy are all described. The highly praised case studies of the first edition have been expanded to include some interesting new examples. This indispensable guide to electron microscopy, written by an author with thirty years practical experience, will be invaluable to new and experienced electron microscopists in any area of science and technology.

In this practical text, the author covers the fundamentals of biological electron microscopy - including fixation, instrumentation, and darkroom work - to provide an excellent introduction to the subject for the advanced undergraduate or graduate student.

The Handbook of Plant Ecophysiology Techniques you have now in your hands is the result of several combined events and efforts. The birth of this handbook can be traced as far as 1997, when our Plant Ecophysiology lab at the University of Vigo hosted a practical course on Plant Ecophysiology Techniques. That course showed us how much useful a handbook presenting a bunch of techniques would be for the scientists beginning to work on Plant Ecophysiology. In fact, we wrote a short handbook explaining the basics of the techniques taught in that 1997 course: Flow cytometry to measure ploidy levels, Use of a Steady-State porometer to measure transpiration, In vivo measure of fluorescence, HPLC analysis of low molecular weight phenolics, Spectrophotometric determinations of free proline and soluble proteins, TLC polyamines contents measures, Isoenzymatic electrophoresis, Use of IRGA and oxygen electrode. That modest handbook, written in Spanish, was very helpful, both for the people who attended the course and for other who have used it for beginning to work in Plant Ecophysiology. The present Handbook is much more ambitious, and it includes more techniques. But we have also had in mind the young scientists beginning to work on Plant Ecophysiology. In 1999 François Pellissier leaded a proposal presented to the European Commission in the Fifth Framework Program in the High Level * Scientific Conferences, including three EuroLab Courses about lab and field techniques useful to improve allelopathic research.

"Provides an in-depth review of current print and electronic tools for research in numerous disciplines of biology, including dictionaries and encyclopedias, method guides, handbooks, on-line directories, and periodicals. Directs readers to an associated Web page that maintains the URLs and annotations of all major Inernet resources discussed in th

Experimental Cell Biology of Taste and Olfaction examines and adapts methods from a variety of established fields, such as neurophysiology, receptor biochemistry and cellular imaging to provide comprehensive coverage of current techniques and protocols in chemosensory cell biology. Written for both newcomers and established scientists, this volume offers numerous tips for problem solving and suggests ways to avoid the most common, and costly, mistakes made by researchers. This book covers general aspects such as tissue collection and preparation, as well as specific, up-to-date methods used in taste and olfactory morphology, immunology, biochemistry, biophysics, electrophysiology and molecular biology. The explosion of knowledge and the increased interest in these areas make this book an important reference work for all scientists, students, and teachers in this and related fields