Leaf Ash
This is from an environmental tapelift collected
in a building in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The flat, multicellular
pattern seen here indicates that this is a pyrolyzed leaf epidermis. Notice the
separate fragments of cell wall in this image.
Transmitted Off Crossed Circular Polarized light and Reflected Darkfield Illumination
Definition/Function:
The leaf epidermis of many plants are coated with a thin layer of silica. This
pytolithic structure often mimics the cell structure beneath it. When
the leaf burns this structure may become part of the smoke plume from the fire. It may
carry a coating of carbon with it that whose concentration
reflects biomass density under the silica. Cell walls are denser than the organic
epidermis itself and so appear darker than the main body of the
cell.
Significance in the Environment:
Characteristic Features:
Associated Particles:
References:
