Category: Uncategorized

 

 

Introduction

Most of the water a plant absorbs is not used for a plant’s daily functioning. It is instead lost through transpiration, the evaporation of water through the leaf surface and stomata, and through guttation, which is the loss of water from the vascular tissues in the margins of leaves.

There are three levels of transport in plants: uptake and release of water and solutes by individual cells, short distance cell to cell transport at tissue and organ levels, and long distance transport of sap by xylem and phloem at the whole plant level. The transport of water is controlled by water potential. Water will always move from an area of high water potential to an area with low water potential. This water potential is affected by pressure, gravity, and solute concentration.

Water moves into the plant through osmosis and creates a hydrostatic root pressure that forces the water upward for a short distance, however, the main force in moving water is the upward pull due to transpiration. This pull is increased by water’s natural properties such as adhesion and cohesion. Transpiration decreases the water potential in the stele causing water to move in and pull upward into the leaves and other areas of low water potential. Pressure begins to build in the leaves, so to prevent downward movement, guttation occurs. Guttation occurs through leaf openings on the leaf margins called hydrathodes. Loss of water through transpiration can be facilitated by the opening and closing of the stomata depending on environmental conditions.

There are three types of cells in plants: parenchyma, sclerenchyma, and collenchyma. Parenchyma cells are the most abundant and are not specialized. They are found in the mesophyll of leaves, the flesh of fruits, the pith of stems, and the root and stem cortex. Sclerenchyma are elongated cells that make up fibers. They have thick secondary walls and the protoplasts often die as they grow older. They are used for support and are found in vascular tissue. Collenchyma cells are living at maturity and have a thickened secondary wall.

 

Hypothesis

 

In Lab 9A, all of the plants in this experiment will lose water through transpiration, but those affected by the heat sink and the fan will lose a larger amount of water due to the environmental conditions. This transpiration will pull water from the potometer into the plant. The structure and cell types of a stem cross-section can be observed under a microscope.

 

Materials

 

Exercise 9A: Transpiration

The materials needed for this exercise were a pan of water, timer, a beaker containing water (heat sink), scissors, 1-mL pipette, a plant cutting, ring stand, clamps, clear plastic tubing, petroleum jelly, a fan, lamp, spray bottle, a scale, calculator, and a plastic bag.

Exercise 9B: Structure of the Stem

The materials needed for this exercise were a nut-and-bolt microtome, single-edge razor blade, plant stems, paraffin, 50% ethanol, distilled water, 50% glycerin, toluidine blue O stain, a microscope slide and cover slip, pencil, paper, and a light microscope.

Methods

Exercise 9A: Transpiration

The tip of the pipette was placed in the plastic tubing and they were submerged in a tray of water. Water was drawn into the pipette and tubing until no bubbles were left. The plant stem was cut underwater and inserted into the plastic tubing. Petroleum jelly was immediately placed around the tube edging to form an airtight seal around the stem. The tubing was bent into a “U” shape and two clamps were used on the ring stand to hold the potometer in place. The potometer was allowed to equilibrate for ten minutes.

The plant was exposed to a fan, which was placed one meter away and set on low speed. The time zero reading was recorded and then it was continually recorded every three minutes for 30 minutes. After the experiment, all the leaves were cut off the plant and massed by cutting a one cm2 box and massing it.

Exercise 9B: Structure of the Stem

A nut-and-bolt microtome was obtained and a small cup was formed by unscrewing the bolt. The stem was placed in the microtome and melted paraffin was poured around the stem. The paraffin was allowed to dry and the excess stem was cut off. The bolt was twisted just a little and then cut with the blade. The slice was placed in the 50% ethanol. The slices were left in the ethanol for five minutes. Using the forceps, the slices were moved to a dish of the toluidine blue O stain and left for one minute. The sections were rinsed in distilled water. The section was mounted on the slide with a drop of 50% glycerin. A cover slip was placed over the slide. The cross section was observed under a light microscope and drawn.

 

Results

Table 9.1: Individual Potometer Readings

 

Time (min)	Beginning (0)	3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30
Reading (mL)	.02	.03	.04	.05	.06	.07	.09	.10	.11	.13	.13

 

Class Potometer Readings

 

Time (min)	Beginning (0)	3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30
Room	.53	.54	.55	.56	.57	.58	.59	.60	.61	.62	.63
Mist	.34	.36	.38	.40	.42	.43	.43	.44	.45	.45	.46
Light	.67	.68	.69	.70	.71	.72	.73	.74	.75	.77	.79
Fan	.02	.03	.04	.05	.06	.07	.09	.10	.11	.13	.13

 

Mass of leaves = 1.1 g
Leaf Surface Area = 0.0044 m2

 

Table 9.2: Individual Water Loss in mL/m2

 

Time Interval (minutes)
	0-3	3-6	6-9	9-12	12-15	15-18	18-21	21-24	24-27	27-30
Water Loss (mL)	.01	.01	.01	.01	.01	.02	.01	.01	.01	0
Water Loss per m2	2.27	2.27	2.27	2.27	2.27	4.55	2.27	2.27	2.27	0

 

 

 

Table 9.3: Class Average Cumulative Water Loss in mL/m2

 

	Time (minutes)
Treatment	0	3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30
Room	0	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Light	0	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5	4	4
Fan	0	2.27	2.27	2.27	2.27	2.27	4.55	2.27	2.27	2.27	0
Mist	0	4.17	4.17	4.17	4.17	2.08	0	2.08	2.08	0	2.08

 

 

Analysis of Results

Calculate the average rate of water loss per minute for each of the treatments:
Room: 1.67 mL/m2
Fan: 0.76 mL/m2
Light: 0.93 mL/m2
Mist: 0.83 mL/m2

 

Explain why each of the conditions cause an increase or decrease in transpiration compared with the control.

 

 

How did each condition affect the gradient of the water potential from stem to leaf in the experimental plant?

 

The light and the fan decreased the water potential in the leaves and water moved up the stem by transpiration pull. The room temperature had little or no effect on the water potential. The mist increased the water potential of the air causing less transpiration to occur from the leaves.

 

What is the advantage to a plant of closed stomata where water is in short supply? What are the disadvantages?

 

The closing of the stomata would prevent transpiration of water and minimize this loss if water was in short supply. It is a conservational adaptation. However, closing stomata prevents the exchange of gases in plants and limits their carbon supplies.

 

Describe several adaptations that enable plants to reduce water loss from their leaves. Include both structural and psychological adaptations.

 

Plants that are adapted to drier climates are called xerophytes. Some of these plants have adapted small, thick leaves with a reduced surface area. They may also have a thickened cuticle to protect themselves from the environment. The stomata may be sunken into pits. Some xerophytes shed their leaves during the driest seasons and others can store water such as cacti. CAM plants uptake CO2 at night and change it into crassulacean acid that can be broken down during the day for sugars. These plants can close their stomata during the day.

 

Why did you need to calculate leaf surface area in tabulating your results?

 

The surface area has to be calculated because this greatly affects the amount of water lost through transpiration. Smaller leaves may lose less water than the larger ones, but by calculated water loss by surface area creates comparable data that is constant and consistent.

 

Error Analysis

 

This lab had many opportunities for error. The potometer set up was a complicated procedure. If any air bubbles were present in the plastic tubing, it could cause drastic error to occur. Any miscalculations or inaccurate weighing could also account for error.

 

Discussion and Conclusion

 

Transpiration in plants is controlled by water potential. This change in water potential in leaves causes a gradient by which water can be moved upward. When the water potential of the air was increased by the mist and plastic bag, less water evaporated from the leaves, decreasing the water potential gradient between the root and stem. This decreased the transpiration pull. The fan and floodlight simulated environmental conditions such as wind, heat, and intense light. These conditions increase the amount of water transpired by plants. This in turn increased the water potential gradient causing more water to be pulled through the stem. The control plant should have had normal rates of transpiration.

The stem must have specialized cells for support and transport. The epidermis is the outermost layer of the stem. The xylem is a transport tube for water, and the phloem transports food and minerals through the plant. Parenchyma are non-specialized cells and are located in the interior. The tougher sclerenchyma and collenchyma make up the structural outer support of the epidermis and the transport tubes of phloem and xylem.

All Materials © Cmassengale

Arkansas is essentially a forest state because more than half of the state is covered with trees.  The climate and soils of Arkansas also support a great variety of trees, both conifers and deciduous.  Trees are one of Arkansas’ most important crops.  Forests are also valuable in preventing erosion, in offering parks and recreational areas, and in providing homes for wildlife.  In addition, many trees have been introduced into the state as ornamentals.

Leaf collecting is a good way to learn the trees native to your area.  Collecting leaves will also help you to learn leaf margins, shapes, and  venations and how to use different taxonomic keys to identify trees.

Materials needed:

• leaf press
• black ink pen
• pencil
• small notebook to record leaves collected
• scissors
• Elmer’s glue
• art paper, poster board, etc. for mounting
• labels
• taxonomic keys (Trees of Arkansas published by the Arkansas Forestry Commission)

Top

Directions for making a leaf press:
1. Cut 10-15 pieces of corrugated cardboard 30 cm by 50 cm in size.
2. Cut several sheets of newspaper the same size as the cardboard.
3. Lay sheets of newspaper between each cardboard layer sandwich style.
4. A piece of wood may be added to the top and bottom to better “press” the leaves flat
5. Use two stretch belts or cords to bind the press together.
6. Leave the press in an area so that air can circulate &  more quickly dry the leaves.

Top

Getting started with your collection:
1. Study the shapes, margins, venations, tips, bases, etc. in your Trees of Arkansas book.

Click here to view reference page

2. Learn to distinguish simple leaves (one blade) from compound leaves (multiple leaflets) and conifers (evergreens) from deciduous (lose leaves) trees.
3. Learn to distinguish a tree from a shrub. (Trees with a single trunk)
4. leaves attach to twigs at NODES. INTERNODES are the distance between leaves on a twig.
5. Gather your collecting materials together – press, pencil, scissors, & small notebook.
6. Always get permission before collecting leaves on someone else’s property.
7. Be sure to collect at least two of each type of leaf so both the bottom & top side of the leaf can be shown in your collection.
8. Place leaves in your press immediately after collecting them so they do not start to dry out and wrinkle.
9. Record the name of each leaf, date collected, and place collected in your notebook as you collect.
Also record tree characteristics such as shape of the crown, color and type of bark, etc.

Top

Collecting:
1. Remember to collect two of every type of leaf!
2. Carefully remove an entire leaf, not a leaflet, from the tree, and place this in your press between newspaper layers.
3. If leaves are damaged or torn, don’t use them because you will not receive credit.
4. Make sure that none of the leaf parts extend beyond the edge of the press.
5. You may also collect & press seeds and/or fruits from some trees if they fit in your press.
6. Leave the leaf in the press for 3 – 5 days depending on its thickness and moisture content.  .
7. Keep the press in an area where air is circulating (in front of a fan).

Top

Labeling and identifying:
1. Obtain printed labels from your teacher.
2. Use only black ink to write labels, & do not mark out or white out mistakes on the labels; rewrite them.
3. Use taxonomic keys to identify each leaf, and include both the scientific & common name of the tree on the label.
4. Determine the shape, margin, tip, base, and venation of your leaf and whether it is a simple or compound leaf; record this on your label.
5. Use you key to give a description of the tree, not the leaf.
6. Research uses for the tree, its fruit, etc. and record on your label.
7. Tell if the leaf is deciduous or coniferous.

Click here for more labels

Top

Mounting leaves: 

Paste Label Here             Pg#

LEAF COLLECTION Name Date Period Subject/Teacher

1. Use pieces of cut poster board or art paper to mount your leaves.  Make sure all sheets are uniform in size! (The size of your sheets will be determined by your largest leaf.)
2. Use Elmer’s glue to adhere two leaves to each page — one showing the upper surface of the leaf and the other showing the underside of the leaf.
3. Each page should have only one type of leaf on it.
4. Arrange the leaves so they do not overlap each other and so there is room to glue the label in the lower right hand corner.  The leaves should look nice on the page.
5. On compound leaves, mount the topside of the complete leaf and then mount the underside of a single leaflet. Make sure the leaflet comes from another leaf to receive credit!
6. Use a small amount of Elmer’s glue to adhere the completed label in the lower right hand corner of the page.
7. LET THE PAGES DRY COMPLETELY BEFORE ASSEMBLING THEM TOGETHER IN YOUR COLLECTION OR THE PAGES WILL STICK TOGETHER!!!!!
8. Once the pages are dry, lay them in the correct order (see your list of required leaves), and then number the pages in the lower right corner with black ink.
9. Make a stiff front and back cover for your collection from poster board, cardboard, wood, etc.  Include the following items on your cover:

• title
• your complete name
• date collection turned into teacher
• class period

10. Use ribbon, string, etc. to bind the pages together or assemble the collection in a scrapbook or art book.  DO NOT COVER THE LEAVES WITH PLASTIC!!!

Top

Required leaves:
1. Only native, Arkansas trees may be used.  Refer to your Trees of Arkansas book.
2. Leaves must be in perfect condition without damage or tears.
3. No more then 4 oaks are allowed in the collection.
4. No fruit trees such as apple, pear, orange, peach, etc. are allowed.
5. Place the following leaves in your collection first and in this order:

1. sweet gum
2. American sycamore
3. pine (any type)
4. flowering dogwood
5. redbud
6. ash (any type)
7. redbud
8. Eastern red cedar
9. maple
10. willow
11. pecan
12. pin oak
13. willow oak
14. water oak
15. elm (any type)

 16 – 20  Any other Native Arkansas leaves

6. The remaining leaves that you include must be trees native to Arkansas!

Top

*Pre AP Biology is required to collect 30 leaves including the 15 required.

 *Biology I is required to collect 20 leaves including the 15 required.

 

Arkansas is essentially a forest state because more than half of the state is covered with trees.  The climate and soils of Arkansas also support a great variety of trees, both conifers and deciduous.  Trees are one of Arkansas’ most important crops.  Forests are also valuable in preventing erosion, in offering parks and recreational areas, and in providing homes for wildlife.  In addition, many trees have been introduced into the state as ornamentals.

Leaf collecting is a good way to learn the trees native to your area.  Collecting leaves will also help you to learn leaf margins, shapes, and  venations and how to use different taxonomic keys to identify trees.

Materials needed:

• leaf press
• black ink pen
• pencil
• small notebook
• scissors
• Elmer’s glue
• art paper, poster board, etc. for mounting
• labels
• taxonomic keys (Trees of Arkansas published by the Arkansas Forestry Commission)

Top

Directions for making a leaf press:
1.   Cut 15 – 20 pieces of corrugated cardboard 30 cm by 50 cm in size.
2. Cut several sheets of newspaper the same size as the cardboard.
3. Lay 10 or 12 sheets of newspaper between each cardboard layer sandwich style.  These sheets will need to be changed every couple of days as they absorb moisture from your leaves; therefore, cut extra sheets.
4. Use one, preferably two, stretch belts to bind the press together.
5. Leave the press in an area so that air can circulate &  more quickly dry the leaves.

Top

Getting started with your collection:
1. Study the shapes, margins, venations, tips, bases, etc. in your Trees of Arkansas book.

Click here to view reference page

2. Learn to distinguish simple leaves from compound leaves and conifers from deciduous trees.
3. Learn to distinguish a tree from a shrub.
4. Gather your collecting materials together – press, pencil, scissors, & small notebook.
6. Always get permission before collecting leaves on someone else’s property.
7. Be sure to collect at least two of each type of leaf so both the bottom & top side of the leaf can be shown in your collection.
8. Place leaves in your press immediately after collecting them so they do not start to dry out and wrinkle.
9. Record the name of each leaf, date collected, and place collected in your notebook as you collect.  Also record tree characteristics such as shape of the crown, color and type of bark, etc.

Top

Collecting:
1. Remember to collect two of every type of leaf!
2. Carefully remove an entire leaf, not a leaflet, from the tree, and place this in your press between newspaper layers.
3. If leaves are damaged or torn, don’t use them because you will not receive credit.
4. Make sure that none of the leaf parts extend beyond the edge of the press.
5. You may also collect &press seeds and/or fruits from some trees if they fit in your press.
6. Leave the leaf in the press for 3 – 5 days depending on its thickness and moisture content.  Remember to change the newspaper when needed.
7. Keep the press in an area where air is circulating (in front of a fan).

Top

Labeling and identifying:
1. Obtain printed labels from your teacher.
2. Use only black ink to write labels, & do not mark out or white out mistakes on the labels; rewrite them.
3. Use taxonomic keys to identify each leaf, and include both the scientific & common name of the tree on the label.
4. Determine the shape, margin, tip, base, and venation of your leaf and whether it is a simple or compound leaf; record this on your label.
5. Use you key to give a description of the tree, not the leaf.
6. Research uses for the tree, its fruit, etc. and record on your label.
7. Tell if the leaf is deciduous or coniferous.

Top

Mounting leaves:
1. Use pieces of cut poster board or art paper to mount your leaves.  Make sure all sheets are uniform in size! (The size of your sheets will be determined by your largest leaf.)
2. Use Elmer’s glue to adhere two leaves to each page — one showing the upper surface of the leaf and the other showing the underside of the leaf.
3. Each page should have only one type of leaf on it.
4. Arrange the leaves so they do not overlap each other and so there is room to glue the label in the lower right hand corner.  The leaves should look nice on the page.
5. On compound leaves, mount the topside of the complete leaf and then mount the underside of a single leaflet. Make sure the leaflet comes from another leaf to receive credit!
6. Use a small amount of Elmer’s glue to adhere the completed label in the lower right hand corner of the page.
7. LET THE PAGES DRY COMPLETELY BEFORE ASSEMBLING THEM TOGETHER IN YOUR COLLECTION OR THE PAGES WILL STICK TOGETHER!!!!!
8. Once the pages are dry, lay them in the correct order (see your list of required leaves), and then number the pages in the lower right corner with black ink.
9. Make a stiff front and back cover for your collection from poster board, cardboard, wood, etc.  Include the following items on your cover:

• title (Tree Identification Through Leaves)
• your complete name
• date collection turned into teacher
• class period
• subject
• teacher’s name

10. Use ribbon, string, etc. to bind the pages together or assemble the collection in a scrapbook.  DO NOT COVER THE LEAVES WITH PLASTIC!!!

Top

Required leaves:
1. Only native, Arkansas trees may be used.  Refer to your Trees of Arkansas book.
2. Leaves must be in perfect condition without damage or tears.
3. No more then 4 oaks are allowed in the collection.
4. No fruit trees such as apple, pear, orange, peach, etc. are allowed.
5. Place the following leaves in your collection first and in this order:

• sweet gum
• American sycamore
• pine (any type)
• flowering dogwood
• redbud
• ash (any type)
• persimmon
• Eastern red cedar
• red or silver maple
• hickory (any type)
• pecan
• pin oak
• willow oak
• water oak
• elm (any type)

6. The remaining leaves that you include must be trees native to Arkansas!

Top

*Pre AP Biology is required to collect 30 leaves including the 15 required.

 *Biology I is required to collect 20 leaves including the 15 required.

BACK

Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723)   . . . my work, which I’ve done for a long time, was not pursued in order to gain the praise I now enjoy, but chiefly from a craving after knowledge, which I notice resides in me more than in most other men. And therewithal, whenever I found out anything remarkable, I have thought it my duty to put down my discovery on paper, so that all ingenious people might be informed thereof.

Anton van Leeuwenhoek. Letter of June 12, 1716

Anton van Leeuwenhoek was an unlikely scientist. A tradesman of Delft, Holland, he came from a family of tradesmen, had no fortune, received no higher education or university degrees, and knew no languages other than his native Dutch. This would have been enough to exclude him from the scientific community of his time completely. Yet with skill, diligence, an endless curiosity, and an open mind free of the scientific dogma of his day, Leeuwenhoek succeeded in making some of the most important discoveries in the history of biology. It was he who discovered bacteria, free-living and parasitic microscopic protists, sperm cells, blood cells, microscopic nematodes and rotifers, and much more. His researches, which were widely circulated, opened up an entire world of microscopic life to the awareness of scientists.

Leeuwenhoek was born in Delft on October 24, 1632. (His last name, incidentally, often is quite troublesome to non-Dutch speakers: “layu-wen-hook” is a passable English approximation.) His father was a basket-maker, while his mother’s family were brewers. Anton was educated as a child in a school in the town of Warmond, then lived with his uncle at Benthuizen; in 1648 he was apprenticed in a linen-draper’s shop. Around 1654 he returned to Delft, where he spent the rest of his life. He set himself up in business as a draper (a fabric merchant); he is also known to have worked as a surveyor, a wine assayer, and as a minor city official. In 1676 he served as the trustee of the estate of the deceased and bankrupt Jan Vermeer, the famous painter, who had had been born in the same year as Leeuwenhoek and is thought to have been a friend of his. And at some time before 1668, Anton van Leeuwenhoek learned to grind lenses, made simple microscopes, and began observing with them. He seems to have been inspired to take up microscopy by having seen a copy of Robert Hooke’s illustrated book Micrographia, which depicted Hooke’s own observations with the microscope and was very popular.

Leeuwenhoek is known to have made over 500 “microscopes,” of which fewer than ten have survived to the present day. In basic design, probably all of Leeuwenhoek’s instruments — certainly all the ones that are known — were simply powerful magnifying glasses, not compound microscopes of the type used today. A drawing of one of Leeuwenhoek’s “microscopes” is shown at the left. Compared to modern microscopes, it is an extremely simple device, using only one lens, mounted in a tiny hole in the brass plate that makes up the body of the instrument. The specimen was mounted on the sharp point that sticks up in front of the lens, and its position and focus could be adjusted by turning the two screws. The entire instrument was only 3-4 inches long, and had to be held up close to the eye; it required good lighting and great patience to use.

Compound microscopes (that is, microscopes using more than one lens) had been invented around 1595, nearly forty years before Leeuwenhoek was born. Several of Leeuwenhoek’s predecessors and contemporaries, notably Robert Hooke in England and Jan Swammerdam in the Netherlands, had built compound microscopes and were making important discoveries with them. These were much more similar to the microscopes in use today. Thus, although Leeuwenhoek is sometimes called “the inventor of the microscope,” he was no such thing.

However, because of various technical difficulties in building them, early compound microscopes were not practical for magnifying objects more than about twenty or thirty times natural size. Leeuwenhoek’s skill at grinding lenses, together with his naturally acute eyesight and great care in adjusting the lighting where he worked, enabled him to build microscopes that magnified over 200 times, with clearer and brighter images than any of his colleagues could achieve. What further distinguished him was his curiosity to observe almost anything that could be placed under his lenses, and his care in describing what he saw. Although he himself could not draw well, he hired an illustrator to prepare drawings of the things he saw, to accompany his written descriptions. Most of his descriptions of microorganisms are instantly recognizable.

In 1673, Leeuwenhoek began writing letters to the newly-formed Royal Society of London, describing what he had seen with his microscopes — his first letter contained some observations on the stings of bees. For the next fifty years he corresponded with the Royal Society; his letters, written in Dutch, were translated into English or Latin and printed in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, and often reprinted separately. To give some of the flavor of his discoveries, we present extracts from his observations, together with modern pictures of the organisms that Leeuwenhoek saw.

In a letter of September 7, 1674, Leeuwenhoek described observations on lake water, including an excellent description of the green charophyte alga Spirogyra: “Passing just lately over this lake, . . . and examining this water next day, I found floating therein divers earthy particles, and some green streaks, spirally wound serpent-wise, and orderly arranged, after the manner of the copper or tin worms, which distillers use to cool their liquors as they distil over. The whole circumference of each of these streaks was about the thickness of a hair of one’s head. . . all consisted of very small green globules joined together: and there were very many small green globules as well.”

A letter dated December 25, 1702, gives descriptions of many protists, including this ciliate, Vorticella: “In structure these little animals were fashioned like a bell, and at the round opening they made such a stir, that the particles in the water thereabout were set in motion thereby. . . And though I must have seen quite 20 of these little animals on their long tails alongside one another very gently moving, with outstretched bodies and straightened-out tails; yet in an instant, as it were, they pulled their bodies and their tails together, and no sooner had they contracted their bodies and tails, than they began to stick their tails out again very leisurely, and stayed thus some time continuing their gentle motion: which sight I found mightily diverting.”

On September 17, 1683, Leeuwenhoek wrote to the Royal Society about his observations on the plaque between his own teeth, “a little white matter, which is as thick as if ‘it were batter.” He repeated these observations on two ladies (probably his own wife and daughter), and on two old men who had never cleaned their teeth in their lives. Looking at these samples with his microscope, Leeuwenhoek reported how in his own mouth: “I then most always saw, with great wonder, that in the said matter there were many very little living animalcules, very prettily a-moving. The biggest sort. . . had a very strong and swift motion, and shot through the water (or spittle) like a pike does through the water. The second sort. . . oft-times spun round like a top. . . and these were far more in number.” In the mouth of one of the old men, Leeuwenhoek found “an unbelievably great company of living animalcules, a-swimming more nimbly than any I had ever seen up to this time. The biggest sort. . . bent their body into curves in going forwards. . . Moreover, the other animalcules were in such enormous numbers, that all the water. . . seemed to be alive.” These were among the first observations on living bacteria ever recorded.

Leeuwenhoek looked at animal and plant tissues, at mineral crystals and at fossils. He was the first to see microscopic foraminifera, which he described as “little cockles. . . no bigger than a coarse sand-grain.” He discovered blood cells, and was the first to see living sperm cells of animals. He discovered microscopic animals such as nematodes and rotifers. The list of his discoveries goes on and on. Leeuwenhoek soon became famous as his letters were published and translated. In 1680 he was elected a full member of the Royal Society, joining Robert Hooke, Henry Oldenburg, Robert Boyle, Christopher Wren, and other scientific luminaries of his day — although he never attended a meeting. In 1698 he demonstrated circulation in the capillaries of an eel to Tsar Peter the Great of Russia, and he continued to receive visitors curious to see the strange things he was describing. He continued his observations until the last days of his life. After his death on August 30, 1723, the pastor of the New Church at Delft wrote to the Royal Society: . . . Anton van Leeuwenhoek considered that what is true in natural philosophy can be most fruitfully investigated by the experimental method, supported by the evidence of the senses; for which reason, by diligence and tireless labor he made with his own hand certain most excellent lenses, with the aid of which he discovered many secrets of Nature, now famous throughout the whole philosophical World.

Citation:

Ford, B. J. 1991. The Leeuwenhoek Legacy. Biopress, Bristol, and Farrand Press, London. <http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/leeuwenhoek.html>