ELECTRON MICROSCOPY UNIT
Klaus W. Wolf, PhD – Head of Unit
WORK OF THE UNIT
During the 2008/2009 academicyear, the Electron Microscopy
(EM) Unit, Mona has continued
conducting research, teaching and
rendering assistance to Researchers,
Postgraduate-, Undergraduate -, High
School- students and other interest
groups. These persons either got results
from, or understanding of the uses and
operations of any or all of the following:
Transmission Electron Microscopy,
Scanning Electron Microscopy, Optical
Microscopy (OM), Macro-Photography 
(MP). Table 1 lists the main services
provided during the said academic year.
Table 1 Main services provided by the EM Unit during the 2008/2009 
academic year.
Specimen Technique Institution
Acetate peels of rock surface OM Dept. of Geography & Geology
Ackee root tips OM Biotechnology Centre
Flower of Opuntia sp. MP Dept. of Life Sciences
Fungi MP Dept. of Life Sciences
Larvae of Citrus Butterfly MP Dept. of Life Sciences
Mammalian Tissue OM Dept. of Basic Med. Sci. - Pharmacology
Microscopic fossils OM Dept. of Geography & Geology
Rat Liver OM Dept. of Basic Med. Sci. - Anatomy
Rat liver and aorta OM Dept. of Basic Med. Sci. - Pharmacology
Rat pancreas OM Dept of Basic Med. Sci. - Physiology
Rock sections OM 13 different students - Dept. of
Geography & Geology
Soil particles & Leaves OM Dept. of Geography & Geology
Spiders OM, MP Dept. of Geography & Geology
Tissue culture in plants OM Biotechnology Centre
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Lectures and laboratory sessions in Electron Microscopy were
conducted in the Virology course “BL38A”, from the Department of
Life Sciences and the Medical Physics and Bioengineering course
“P29A” from the department of Physics.
Lectures were conducted in the graduate course Research Methods for
Biologists “BL60E”, from the Department of Life Sciences and a
laboratory session for the graduate course Research Methods from the
Department of Chemistry.
Posters, exhibits and demonstrations were contributed to Research Day
activities on the Mona campus of the University and a poster and
exhibits were contributed to the UWI Fair on the Western Campus in
Montego Bay.
Collaborations continue with Zoologists from the University of Salzburg 
(Austria) and Wittenberg College (USA) on Ciliates in tank bromeliads
and Kinetics of spermatogenesis in lizards, respectively.
Research in progress
Gamete structure and development in insects, using various
microscopic techniques.
Effects of chemicals on red blood cells.
Refereed Publications
* Gribbins, K. M., Rheubert, J. L., Poldemann, E. H., Collier,
M. H., Wilson, B., Wolf, K. W. Continuous spermatogenesis
and the germ cell development strategy within the testis of the 
Jamaican Gray Anole, Anolis lineatopus. Theriogenology 72:
484-492, 2009
* Foissner, W. and Wolf, K.W. Morphology and ontogenesis of 
Platyophrya bromelicola nov. spec., a new macrostome-forming 
colpodid (Portists, Ciliophora) from tank bromeliads of
Jamaica. Eur. J. Protistol.  45: 87-97, 2009.
* Oertel, A., Wolf, K.W., Al-Rasheid, K. and Foissner, W.
Revision of the genus Coriplites Foissner, 1988 (Ciliophora:
Haptorida), with description of Apocoriplites nov. gen. and
three new species. Acta Protozool., 47: 231-46, 2008
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With a staff complement of two, the per capita publication = 1.5.
Targets
In the 2009/2010 academic year, the EM Unit aims to:
Pursue joint venture funding that will assist in the acquisition of a 
new scanning electron microscope;
Continue its involvement in teaching and research;
Continue its core function of assistance to researchers and
exposing interest groups to the benefits and techniques of
electron microscopy.
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