Hello,

I just finished building a simple air sampler that blows air on a
sticky tape, and today I got my first look at what's in the air.
There are things that I managed to identify, and some that I
couldn't. One of the most abundant things in the air on my patio
right now is something I could not identify. Here is a pictu

http://avtanski.net/images/microscop...sample/p01.jpg

The thing on the right and slightly lower I'm pretty sure is a pine
pollen grain - I have it here for scale. What is the weird star-like
thing on the left? Air seems to be packed with these.

Here is another of the things, this one slightly different:

http://avtanski.net/images/microscop...sample/p02.jpg

And while we are on this topic, what are the cell-like things that
look like pill capsules here (magnification is the same as before):

http://avtanski.net/images/microscop...sample/p03.jpg

Somehow those look like spores to me - I saw similar pictures of
spores online. Are those spores? From fungi?

Regards,

- Alex

On May 9, 9:25*pm, Alexander Avtanski wrote:
Hello,

I just finished building a simple air sampler that blows air on a
sticky tape, and today I got my first look at what's in the air.
There are things that I managed to identify, and some that I
couldn't. *One of the most abundant things in the air on my patio
right now is something I could not identify. *Here is a pictu

*http://avtanski.net/images/microscop...sample/p01.jpg

The thing on the right and slightly lower I'm pretty sure is a pine
pollen grain - I have it here for scale. *What is the weird star-like
thing on the left? *Air seems to be packed with these.

Here is another of the things, this one slightly different:

*http://avtanski.net/images/microscop...sample/p02.jpg

And while we are on this topic, what are the cell-like things that
look like pill capsules here (magnification is the same as before):

*http://avtanski.net/images/microscop...sample/p03.jpg

Somehow those look like spores to me - I saw similar pictures of
spores online. *Are those spores? *From fungi?

Regards,

- Alex

Very nice pictures! Those star-shaped things are very bizarre. I don't
think they're germinating pollen or fungi spores because they nearly
always only start with a single tube, not a mass in every direction.
However, it may be something in the myxomycota which is a hodge-podge
of things. I think that for a few reasons. The first is that this is
the time of year. The also are made of many cells working together, so
they may exit a cyst in more than more direction, and that they have
no cell wall and there isn't one visible in your picture.

In your second photo, there is a cell wall. Although I don't think
it's fungi. Fungi tend to make little plugs all along it's hyphae that
I don't see. Also, hyphae don't usually come to a point, it's more
rounded except in the reproductive structures. My guess is you have
captured a trichome. It looks just like a trichome. Also, in this
picture, you have another kind of pollen at the top center. You can
see 3 pores in it which identifies it as a eudicot. You only see
triporate pollen in the more advanced plants. You can't find it in
your pines.

I think those "pills" are fungal. They strike me as too small for
pollen. Plus, they look just like coprinus spores (although that is
just a guess). Coprinus is going wild all over my town in central
Wisconsin. Where are you and has it rained a lot lately? That might
explain your star structures.

Again, nice pictures.

Thanks for the response. I'm right now searching the net for pictures
of all the things that you mentioned. So far the closest match for
the "stars" are trichomes. One thing that doesn't exactly match is
that the internal structure looks very different from that of
trichomes. But the shape is exactly right.

Can there be that many trichomes in the air that they become the
dominating thing? (On my samples I have more trichomes than any other
thing, except something that looks like mineral dust grains.)

Thanks,

- Alex

Oops, forgot to mention that - I plan to post the same query on
"sci.bio.microbiology" - that group seems to have a high number of
posters - maybe somebody there is doing air samples.

Now I'm pretty sure those are trichomes, as you said. I found a
couple of pictures on the web that show exactly the same internal
structure. Thanks!

- Alex

Great microscopic pics! I'm still learning how to use one. Thanks for posting these.