Question

How do you identify vacuole from a microscopic image of plant cells?

Answer 1

A vacuole in a cell is a definite space which is devoid of cytoplasm and is lined with a membrane. It is a membrane bound organelle which has organic and inorganic molecules inside them.

Complete answer:
There are many physiological differences in animal and plant cells. Plant cells have cell organelles that are absent in an animal cell. Plant cells have a rigid cell wall made up of cellulose that is absent in animal cells. Plant cells contain plastids which are responsible for pigmentation such as chlorophyll, xanthophyll and carotene. Plant cells have huge vacuoles whereas animal cells have smaller ones. Vacuoles are clear spaces with water or other substances in solution. Vacuoles are covered by a covering called tonoplast.

Vacuoles store water and other substances such as food, pigments, and waste products. Vacuoles are cell organelles which dissolve various organic and inorganic substances. Vacuoles are intracellular compartments which give turgidity to the plant cells. The vacuoles of plant cells are multifunctional organelles that are central to cellular strategies of plant development.

To view and study the structure of a vacuole in a plant cell a light microscope can be used. The vacuole does not stain as other organelles of the plant cell but they can be prominently seen as they usually occupy up to 90% of the cell volume. Dyes to be used to stain vacuoles are basic in nature. Examples of basic dyes are- neutral red, pyronin, methylene blue, brilliant cresyl blue. Vacuoles can be identified by looking at the cells during osmosis. So to identify vacuole from a microscopic image of plant cells, one should look for big cell structures in the image.

Note: The various roles of vacuole are,
1)Vacuoles play a crucial role in the defense and death of cells.
2)They play an important role in immunity of the cell by releasing various enzymes.
3)In animal cells, they help in removal of waste products
4)In plant cells, they help in maintaining the water balance