cell plasmolysis

[Warwick Silvester]

 Re visualising plant turgor  etc

  A most dramatic way  of both visualising  amnd  measuring plant cell
turgor parameters is to us any of the characean algae eg Chara or Nitella,
the very long internodal cells ,up to 50mm long in some cases, offer a
brilliant material. Just pushing them around in a petri dish you can feel
the turgor and putting the in dfferent sucrose concs will caause big
changes in 20-30s. Now try this, put some cells in  a big petri dish  on an
overhead projector  and show  the changes on the screen,  the change from
flaccid plasmolysed cells to turgid ones is accompnied by  a sgnificant
release of energy as the cells straighten up. One can do the whole turgor
expt in about 5min .
  Good luck

Warwick Silvester                      Ph.(07) 838 4613
Dept of Biological Sciences             Fax(07) 838 4324
University of Waikato                     Email WBS at waikato.ac.nz
Hamilton, New Zealand