CHARACTERIZATION OF WOOD STRUCTURE BY CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY AND SEM

摘要

Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and resin casting with SEM can provide three-dimensional (3-D) information, which can improve our understanding of the structure of the xylem. We used these methods to analyze cell structure and the 3-D arrangement of cells in hand-cut sections of wood of several hardwood species from the genera: Kalopanax, Fraxinus, Cercidiphyllum, and Populus. The resin casting using polystyrene was appropriate for studying the micromorphology of cell walls in different stages of cell differentiation. Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) resin cast replicas revealed the arrangement of vessels and the morphology of vessel elements. We visualized cell wall sculptures of all types of xylem cells in details and revealed wood features, which are not easily characterized by conventional light microscopy methods, such as vessel networks, twisting of vessels, vessel ends, intervessel and intertracheid bordered pit connections across growth rings, and intercellular spaces. This study demonstrates the merits of the CLSM and the resin casting method for the characterization of the structure of wood.