Three-Dimensional Synchrotron Virtual Paleohistology: A New Insight into the World of Fossil Bone Microstructures

Abstract

The recent developments of phase-contrast synchrotron imaging techniques have been of great interest for paleontologists, providing three-dimensional (3D) tomographic images of anatomical structures, thereby leading to new paleobiological insights and the discovery of new species. However, until now, it has not been used on features smaller than 5-7 μm voxel size in fossil bones. Because much information is contained within the 3D histological architecture of bone, including an ontogenetic record, crucial for understanding the paleobiology of fossil species, the application of phase-contrast synchrotron tomography to bone at higher resolutions is potentially of great interest. Here we use this technique to provide new 3D insights into the submicron-scale histology of fossil and recent bones, based on the development of new pink-beam configurations, data acquisition strategies, and improved processing tools. Not only do the scans reveal by nondestructive means all of the major features of the histology at a resolution comparable to that of optical microscopy, they provide 3D information that cannot be obtained by any other method.

Non-invasive imaging methods applied to neo- and paleo-ontological cephalopod research

“…The scan time for one small object (5 mm) takes about 5-20 min, depending on the set-up, but larger objects can also be scanned with high accuracy and resolution. High resolution means in this case that the resolution can be less than 0.7 µm (Baruchel et al, 2006;Friis et al, 2007;Perrichot et al, 2008;Pouech et al, 2010;Sanchez et al, 2012;Tafforeau and Smith, 2013;Moreau et al, 2014;Fig. 10).…”

Ornamentation of dermal bones of Placodermi from the Lower Devonian of Morocco as a measure of biodiversity

“…7). However, new non-invasive tomography methods of analysis, such as the use of synchrotron (SRXTM) for detailed visualisation of tissue and structure types, shows that that is not necessarily true (Sanchez et al, 2012;Rücklin et al, 2014). The middle layer is often remodelled by resorption.…”

Morphology and histology of acanthodian fin spines from the late Silurian Ramsåsa E locality, Skåne, Swede

“…Studies of the development and growth of extant chondrichthyan fin spines (Markert, 1896;Maisey, 1979;Jerve et al, 2014) has provided a framework from which to understand fossil spines. Furthermore, the use of propagation phase-contrast synchrotron X-Ray microtomography technology as a nondestructive tool for studying the 3D microstructure of fossils has made it possible to understand aspects of their overall architecture that might not be observed from traditional 2D thin section (e.g., Sanchez et al, 2012;Qu et al, 2015). This technique has been used to study the histology of a number of fossils, including scales (e.g., Qu et al, 2013Qu et al, , 2015, dermal plates (e.g., Dupret et al, 2010;Giles et al, 2013;Chen et al, 2016), fin bones and rays (Sanchez et al, 2014), and fin spines , and has provided valuable information on the morphology, vascularization, and growth of these structures.…”