A LevelBiologyAQARevision NotesOrganisms Respond to Changes in their Environments (A Level only)Skeletal Muscles (A Level only)Examining Skeletal Muscle Under a Microscope

Examining Skeletal Muscle Under a Microscope (AQA A Level Biology): Revision Note

Exam code: 7402

Lára Marie McIvor

Written by: Lára Marie McIvor

Reviewed by: Naomi Holyoak

Updated on

Examining skeletal muscle under a microscope

  • Pre-prepared slides of skeletal muscle tissue can be examined in the school laboratory under an optical microscope

  • While the resolution of optical microscopes will be too low to see details of muscle structure, visible features may include:

    • banding

    • nuclei

Illustration of muscle fibre showing labelled nuclei, light bands (I-bands), and dark bands (A-bands) with detailed microscopic texture.
The dark bands in skeletal muscle produce a characteristic striped appearance

  • Electron microscopes can be used to view muscle fibres in more detail and reveal the structure of myofibrils; visible features may include:

    • dark lines at each Z-line

    • light bands corresponding with I bands

    • dark bands corresponding with A bands

Illustration of muscle fibre sarcomere with labelled Z lines, M line, I band, A band, and H band in a patterned, abstract style.
The detailed structures of muscle fibres are visible using TEM due to the higher resolution of electron microscopes
Mammalian Muscle Under The Microscope 2, downloadable AS & A Level Biology revision notes

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Author
Reviewer
Lára Marie McIvor

Author: Lára Marie McIvor

Expertise: Biology, Psychology & Sociology Subject Lead

Lára graduated from Oxford University in Biological Sciences and has now been a science tutor working in the UK for several years. Lára has a particular interest in the area of infectious disease and epidemiology, and enjoys creating original educational materials that develop confidence and facilitate learning.

Naomi Holyoak

Reviewer: Naomi Holyoak

Expertise: Biology Content Creator

Naomi graduated from the University of Oxford with a degree in Biological Sciences. She has 8 years of classroom experience teaching Key Stage 3 up to A-Level biology, and is currently a tutor and A-Level examiner. Naomi especially enjoys creating resources that enable students to build a solid understanding of subject content, while also connecting their knowledge with biology’s exciting, real-world applications.

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