Three-dimensional visualization of fossil flowers, fruits, seeds, and other plant remains using synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM): new insights into Cretaceous plant diversity
The application of synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM) to the study of mesofossils of Cretaceous age has created new possibilities for the three-dimensional visualization and analysis of the external and internal structure of critical plant fossil material as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract:
The application of synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM) to the study of mesofossils of Cretaceous age has created new possibilities for the three-dimensional visualization and analysis of the external and internal structure of critical plant fossil material. SRXTM provides cellular and subcellular resolution of comparable or higher quality to that obtained from permineralized material using thin sections or the peel technique. SRXTM also has the advantage of being non-destructive and results in the rapid acquisition of large quantities of data in digital form. SRXTM thus refocuses the effort of the investigator from physical preparation to the digital post-processing of X-ray tomographic data, which allows great flexibility in the reconstruction, visualization, and analysis of the internal and external structure of fossil material in multiple planes and in two or three dimensions. A review of recent applications in paleobotany demonstrates that SRXTM will dramatically expand the level of information available for diverse fossil plants. Future refinement of SRXTM approaches that further increases resolution and eases digital post-processing, will transform the study of mesofossils and create new possibilities for advancing paleobotanical knowledge. We illustrate these points using a variety of Cretaceous mesofossils, highlighting in particular those cases where SRXTM has been essential for resolving critical structural details that have enhanced systematic understanding and improved phylogenetic interpretations.
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TL;DR: Flowers of Saportanthus possess a combination of characters that indicate a relationship to extant Laurales but that is unknown among extant or fossil members of the group, and provides further evidence of extensive extinction in the early diversification of angiosperms.
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Q1. What have the authors contributed in "Three-dimensional visualization of fossil flowers, fruits, seeds, and other plant remains using synchrotron radiation x-ray tomographic microscopy (srxtm): new insights into cretaceous plant diversity" ?
The application of synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy ( SRXTM ) to the study of mesofossils of Cretaceous age has created new possibilities for the three-dimensional visualization and analysis of the external and internal structure of critical plant fossil material. Future refinement of SRXTM approaches that further increases resolution and eases digital post-processing, will transform the study of mesofossils and create new possibilities for advancing paleobotanical knowledge. The authors illustrate these points using a variety of Cretaceous mesofossils, highlighting in particular those cases where SRXTM has been essential for resolving critical structural details that have enhanced systematic understanding and improved phylogenetic interpretations.
Q2. What future works have the authors mentioned in the paper "Three-dimensional visualization of fossil flowers, fruits, seeds, and other plant remains using synchrotron radiation x-ray tomographic microscopy (srxtm): new insights into cretaceous plant diversity" ?
SRXTM has already been informative where it has been deployed in paleobotany, but the full possibilities of these techniques are still relatively underexplored. The combination of SRXTM with the availability of a large numbers of diverse and well-preserved specimens offers the possibility of a new phase of rapid progress in their understanding of Cretaceous and other fossil plants. In many cases, the critical details revealed by the application of SRXTM have created opportunities to compare the fine structure of fossils with those of extant taxa, raising the possibility of also using SRXTM to study complex 3-D structures in living plants. This kind of material requires higher energies, and particularly for larger specimens where lateral merging and vertical stacking is required the acquisition time may be extensive.