The value of synchrotron radiation X‐ray techniques to explore microscale chemistry for ecology and evolution research

Abstract

Synchrotron radiation (SR) techniques, which use high‐energy photon beams to create high‐resolution images and spectra of a sample, are valuable analytical methods that have long benefited physical, geological, and biochemical research. Recent developments in synchrotron infrastructure have allowed SR techniques to become a more accessible resource for studying ecological and evolutionary phenomena at the micro‐ or nanoscale. Here we provide a synthesis to SR techniques, how they compare with other analytical techniques, how they have been used, and then discuss how this technology has significant potential for future applications within ecology and evolution research. A literature review demonstrates the growing use of SR techniques within environmental and ecological research communities, alongside the variety of organisms and target elements that have been prioritized since 2000. Clear gaps still exist within the imaging of lighter, biologically relevant elements (e.g., C, N, and P) for assessing their cycling within organisms, and also in the study of a wider range of microbial, vertebrate, and invertebrate species. While different organism types and target elements may require different sample preparation strategies, the selection of an appropriate elemental fixation method (chemical or cryogenic), embedding material, sample thickness, and mounting material is particularly important. We demonstrate the opportunities that SR techniques present to those in the fields of environmental biology, ecology, and evolutionary science who may be unfamiliar, while demystifying the caveats and sample preparation considerations that must be addressed to acquire high‐quality data. While these techniques are currently mainly employed within the context of environmental pollution and ecotoxicology studies, we argue that elemental imaging, X‐ray microscopy and spectroscopic analysis have a huge, largely untapped potential within agri‐ecology, paleoclimatology, and comparative and functional morphology studies.

Nano-Scale Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry: A Paradigm Shift in Soil Science

“…Te collaboration across disciplines is crucial in deciphering the complex connections existing between microbiome and their physical and environments. Te concurrent examination of numerous elements through NanoSIMS has yielded valuable understandings into the spatial arrangement of elements [31,144]. Challenges in experimental planning, sample management, and connecting nano-level observations to processes at the ecosystem scale underscore the need for extensive investigations into soil biogeochemical phenomena [75,145], emphasizing the importance of NanoSIMS integration with other techniques in advancing soil sciences.…”

2023 atomic spectrometry update – a review of advances in X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and its special applications

“…In their comprehensive review, Dinsley et al 26 illustrated the opportunities that SR techniques , including SR-XRF spectrometry imaging, offer to scientists working in the fields of environmental biology, ecology and evolutionary science. The elemental detection range and analytical characteristics of various spatially resolving elemental-analysis techniques (nano-SIMS, μPIXE, LA-ICP-MS, SEM-EDS/EPMA-WDS, STEM-EELS, STXM and SR-XRF spectrometry-imaging) were compared.…”