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Simple and reliable methods for the fixation, mounting and staining of small and delicate marine plankton for light microscopic identification

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Abstract

The fixation capacity of mixtures of acrolein, glutaraldehyde, and tannic acid, was investigated to arrive at a fixative for small and delicate marine plankton that is more universal than the current selective fixatives. A mixture containing 4% acrolein, 4% glutaraldehyde and 2% tannic acid added 1:1 to the cell suspension proved to be satisfactory. Mounting of the material in euparal before staining is recommended. Of several dyes tried, fuchsin acid proved suitable for observation of flagella and cell shapes. Delafield haematoxylin staining gave the best results for internal details. Fuchsin base staining, requiring a complex procedure, is recommended when it is necessary to search for flagellar hairs as found in Ochromonas spp. Schedules for the fixation, mounting and staining are given.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Systematic Botany, Biological Centre of the University of Groningen, P.O. Box 14, 9750 AA, Haren (Gr.), The Netherlands

    J. van der Veer

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  1. J. van der Veer
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Communicated by O. Kinne, Hamburg

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van der Veer, J. Simple and reliable methods for the fixation, mounting and staining of small and delicate marine plankton for light microscopic identification. Mar. Biol. 66, 9–14 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00397249

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00397249

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