Microscopy for plant research

我们的实验室研究植物进化和发展的模式和过程。我们研究了广泛的主题，包括：(1)不同类型的水果和花朵的发育模式；(2)遗传途径如何改变以产生不同的形态；(3)植物化石物种的描述；(4)化石材料与现存物种的整合和比较，以回答有关发育和进化途径和区系进化的问题。为了充分解决这些问题，需要使用高质量的显微镜对植物材料进行仔细的分析和记录。显微术在描述和鉴定化石材料方面的重要性怎么强调也不过分。我们建议购买一个显微镜系统，包括一个解剖显微镜，一个具有荧光功能的复合显微镜和一个数字文档系统。这台设备对我们实验室正在进行的研究至关重要。如果没有高质量的显微镜系统，我们回答有关植物发育和进化的基本问题的能力将受到严重限制。此外，缺少显微镜将会限制学生学习材料的范围和数量，从而阻碍他们的进步。

Our labs study patterns and processes of plant evolution and development.  We investigate a broad range of topics including (1) developmental patterns underlying different types of fruits and flowers, (2) how genetic pathways may be altered to produce different morphologies, (3) description of plant fossil species, and (4) integration and comparison of fossil material to living species to answer questions about developmental and evolutionary pathways and floristic evolution.  In order to adequately address any of these questions, careful analysis and documentation of plant material using high quality microscopes is required.  The importance of microscopy in describing and identifying fossil material cannot be overstated.   We propose to purchase a microscope system including a dissecting microscope, a compound microscope with fluorescent capabilities, and a digital documentation system.  This equipment is vital to the ongoing research in our labs.  Without nearly full time access to a high quality microscope system, we will be severely limited in our ability answer fundamental questions about plant development and evolution.  In addition, lack of microscope access will hinder student progress by limiting the scope and amount of material that they can study.