How do animal and plant cell density/shape compare? (BioE80 Spr2015)
May 26, 2015 • 12:29 AM UTC
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carolynrice
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On a fine California afternoon, I found myself in the Engineering Quad, wondering what flower petals would look like on a cellular level. So I plucked a small purple flower from a plant and put it onto a slide. As I focused the Foldscope on the petals, I was amazed at how tightly packed, uniform and distinct the cells were, giving the petal a rough-looking texture. So my partner and I decided it would be interesting to compare plant cell density and appearance to animal cells. We took a skin sample using sticky tape, and the Foldscope revealed loosely packed, shapeless skin cells. While an actual piece of skin would be more comparable to the petal we examined in terms of cell density, the cellular shape difference is clear nonetheless. It would be interesting to see if plant cells retain their structural integrity when separated from the other cells. I wonder if cell density increases towards the exterior of animal appendages like fingers; in the flower petals, there is an apparent increase in cell density at the edges.
Contributor: Carolyn Rice
Other group member: Taylor Sihavong
Contributor: Carolyn Rice
Other group member: Taylor Sihavong
skin sample
flower petal sample
flower petal sample
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