Microstructure of an Arabidopsis Leaf Disk

This movie shows the microstructure of a 3 mm disk from an Arabidopsis leaf. The image was captured using X-ray computed microtomography (microCT) at The Hounsfield Facility, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham. microCT is a non-destructive imaging technique that allows visualisation and quantification of objects in 3D. The yellow colour indicates the extracellular air space in the leaf important for gas exchange between the cells and the environment. 

Lundgren, M.R., Mathers, A., Baillie, A.L. et al. Mesophyll porosity is modulated by the presence of functional stomata. Nat Commun 10, 2825 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10826-5