Southern California Pollen
May 10, 2019 • 1:36 AM UTC
United States
140x Magnification
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lch2en
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The image is of anthers and pollen of large yellow flowers from a bush through a foldscope.
The sample was obtained at around 1:15 on Sunday May 5th. The sample was obtained by plucking an anther from the flower.
The sample was obtained at around 1:15 on Sunday May 5th. The sample was obtained by plucking an anther from the flower.
The plant species appears to be a hibiscus. Since the magnification of the foldscope is 140x and the pollen appears to be around 3 mm, the actual size of the pollen is 0.02 cm.
Potential questions of the image include whether the size of pollen is uniform or varied across hibiscus types, which can be solved by sampling flowers from different locations. Further questions can involve whether the size of pollen influence its likelihood to be able to pass down its genetics. This question can be solved by repeated generations of breeding plants and seeing whether or not the larger pollen grains persist.
Something cool I also noticed is that the pollen is not the only thing on the anther. There appears to be grains of dust and bug particles too. Since pollen is so powdery, It would be interesting to see how anthers remain effective even in the presence of obstacles to reproduction. #caltechbi1
Potential questions of the image include whether the size of pollen is uniform or varied across hibiscus types, which can be solved by sampling flowers from different locations. Further questions can involve whether the size of pollen influence its likelihood to be able to pass down its genetics. This question can be solved by repeated generations of breeding plants and seeing whether or not the larger pollen grains persist.
Something cool I also noticed is that the pollen is not the only thing on the anther. There appears to be grains of dust and bug particles too. Since pollen is so powdery, It would be interesting to see how anthers remain effective even in the presence of obstacles to reproduction. #caltechbi1
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