Structural color in Myxomycetes

In this paper we report evidence of structural color in Myxomycetes, a group of eukaryotic microorganisms with an uncertain taxonomic position. We investigated the Diachea leucopoda, which belongs to the Physarales order, Myxomycetes class, and found that its peridium -protective layer that encloses...

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Autores principales: Inchaussandague, M., Skigin, D., Carmaran, C., Rosenfeldt, S.
Formato: JOUR
Materias:
SEM
TEM
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_10944087_v18_n15_p16055_Inchaussandague
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Sumario:In this paper we report evidence of structural color in Myxomycetes, a group of eukaryotic microorganisms with an uncertain taxonomic position. We investigated the Diachea leucopoda, which belongs to the Physarales order, Myxomycetes class, and found that its peridium -protective layer that encloses the mass of spores- is basically a corrugated layer of a transparent material, which produces a multicolored pointillistic effect, characteristic of this species. Scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microspcopy techniques have been employed to characterize the samples. A simple optical model of a planar slab is proposed to calculate the reflectance. The chromaticity coordinates are obtained, and the results confirm that the color observed is a result of an interference effect © 2010 Optical Society of America.