Sub forum for microscope related issues?

[JennyS]

There have been various threads over the years dealing with microscope related issues and I wondered if a sub forum in 'Fungi' would be a useful way of collecting them all together in one place?

Any thoughts, comments and feedback appreciated!

Jenny

(Declaring a vested interest as mine has just arrived and I'm looking at it going ooh, errr, 'elp, wish I'd done science at school!)

[mebeingme]

Hi Jenny,
I couldn't agree more. Members have been kind enough to forward useful links and tips to previous questions. I think it would be a great resource if the learned folk among us could compile a WAB starter guide to microscopy within this forum; accessible on Fungi menu. This could include basic spore analysis; and move onto more advanced techniques - I haven't got that far yet

[fairplay]

I tend to agree, there is enough demand to support this, the trouble is, will the people with the necessary knowledge be prepared to have to click onto yet another site to see what is being said ?

Neil.

[Dan Salter]

I would be keen on this having just got back into the world of microscopy recently.

Im not sure it needs to be in the fungi forum though?...obviously fungi fiends do use them....but so do 'mothers' and im currently looking at pond water/rotifers and moss/tardigrades (water bears) etc?...

[fairplay]

Nuff said !

Over to the mods I guess.

Neil.

[FungiJohn]

Hi all

I've thought often about this too

My thoughts are that we should have a sub forum for 'fungal' microscopy and possibly a general microscopy sub forum in the 'Photographic' area.

We certainly do have a wealth of microscopic information and contributors here in the fungi forum and it would make sense if these were all in one place.

I'm open to suggestions

John

[Jason Green]

Evening all,

Sounds good - I'm often wondering about spore prints, and having a 'scope myself would subsequently be interested. As Dan says though, it isn't just fungi members who use them but I and other members who are into entomology would find a sub-forum useful too.

I'd suggest a Microscope and Imaging forum in it's own right, personally - they are also used by Wildflower members, so in enough use to justify it in my opinion!

Take care,

Jason

[fairplay]

Is a true (compound) microscope used in entomology and plants or is it a dissecting microscope that is used ?

Well they're both microscopes aren't they.

Neil.

[Jason Green]

Evening Neil,

Compound or dissecting... um, is it the latter for entomology? I must say I haven't come across the terms much before, but mine's a 20x stereo model. For investigating smaller invertebrates still, apparently standard one eye-piece models are used offering higher magnification. Maybe the two terms are used more in mycological circles? I may just not have heard of these as I'm still new to microscopy

[fairplay]

Yours would be classed as a dissecting scope Jason which I believe is all that is necessary for looking at moths genitals, sorry, genitalia.

In mycology, both are used, the dissecting for obtaining the sample and the high powered compound for examination.

Neil.