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Imaging techniques for observing laminar geometry in the feather shaft cortex

Imaging techniques for observing laminar geometry in the feather shaft cortex
Imaging techniques for observing laminar geometry in the feather shaft cortex
Bird feather shafts are light, stiff and strong, but the fine details of how their structure, mechanics and function relate to one another remains poorly understood. The missing piece in our understanding may be the various fibrous layers that make up the shaft's cortex. Detailed imaging techniques are needed to enable us to capture, analyse and quantify these layers before we can begin to unravel the relationship between their structure, mechanics and function.

We show that Serial‐Block‐Face scanning electron microscopy, scanning confocal polarised microscopy and synchrotron‐based computed tomography are three suitable techniques to investigate layer thickness and fibre orientation in the feather cortex. These techniques and other are discussed in terms of their ability to resolve the fibrous laminar structure of the feather cortex, on sample preparation, and on throughput. Annotated images are presented for each and less suitable techniques are presented in the Supplementary Material.

Lay Description
Bird feathers have a light, stiff and strong central shaft. However, the fine details of how their structure, mechanics and function relate to one another remains poorly understood. The missing piece in our understanding may have to do with how fibrous layers within the shaft vary in thickness and alignment. Detailed imaging techniques are needed so that we can quantify some of this variation before we can revisit some long‐unanswered questions about the feather shaft's structure, mechanics and function.

We investigate a number of microscopy techniques and show that three techniques are suitable for the sort of investigation that is required. These techniques and others are discussed in terms of their ability to resolve the layers’ thickness and alignment, on sample preparation, and on the sample sizes they are able to process. Annotated images are presented and discussed for each of the three techniques and unsuitable techniques receive the same examination in the Supplementary Material.
fibres, imaging, microscopy, PolScope, SBF-SEM, SEM, synchrotron X-ray imaging, β-keratin, μCT
0022-2720
1-6
Laurent, Christian
fdcd3853-e6d3-47a8-afed-650ae70f65d9
Ahmeds, Sharif
e7181acb-a5ad-4712-b6bd-4c4dfbf6a9dc
Boardmans, Richard
5818d677-5732-4e8a-a342-7164dbb10df1
Cook, Richard
e2349860-13a4-4f9b-9ab8-667fc615ca79
Dyke, Gareth
866864a2-ed79-4adc-96bb-aa388a55ca24
Palmer, Colin
d4b02122-cc0e-4b28-bc6c-03d107acf362
Schneiders, Phillip
23aba470-1ad3-42b4-bc00-7c30a068e680
De Kat, Roeland
d46a99a4-8653-4698-9ef4-46dd0c77ba5d
Laurent, Christian
fdcd3853-e6d3-47a8-afed-650ae70f65d9
Ahmeds, Sharif
e7181acb-a5ad-4712-b6bd-4c4dfbf6a9dc
Boardmans, Richard
5818d677-5732-4e8a-a342-7164dbb10df1
Cook, Richard
e2349860-13a4-4f9b-9ab8-667fc615ca79
Dyke, Gareth
866864a2-ed79-4adc-96bb-aa388a55ca24
Palmer, Colin
d4b02122-cc0e-4b28-bc6c-03d107acf362
Schneiders, Phillip
23aba470-1ad3-42b4-bc00-7c30a068e680
De Kat, Roeland
d46a99a4-8653-4698-9ef4-46dd0c77ba5d

Laurent, Christian, Ahmeds, Sharif, Boardmans, Richard, Cook, Richard, Dyke, Gareth, Palmer, Colin, Schneiders, Phillip and De Kat, Roeland (2019) Imaging techniques for observing laminar geometry in the feather shaft cortex. Journal of Microscopy, 1-6. (doi:10.1111/jmi.12820).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Bird feather shafts are light, stiff and strong, but the fine details of how their structure, mechanics and function relate to one another remains poorly understood. The missing piece in our understanding may be the various fibrous layers that make up the shaft's cortex. Detailed imaging techniques are needed to enable us to capture, analyse and quantify these layers before we can begin to unravel the relationship between their structure, mechanics and function.

We show that Serial‐Block‐Face scanning electron microscopy, scanning confocal polarised microscopy and synchrotron‐based computed tomography are three suitable techniques to investigate layer thickness and fibre orientation in the feather cortex. These techniques and other are discussed in terms of their ability to resolve the fibrous laminar structure of the feather cortex, on sample preparation, and on throughput. Annotated images are presented for each and less suitable techniques are presented in the Supplementary Material.

Lay Description
Bird feathers have a light, stiff and strong central shaft. However, the fine details of how their structure, mechanics and function relate to one another remains poorly understood. The missing piece in our understanding may have to do with how fibrous layers within the shaft vary in thickness and alignment. Detailed imaging techniques are needed so that we can quantify some of this variation before we can revisit some long‐unanswered questions about the feather shaft's structure, mechanics and function.

We investigate a number of microscopy techniques and show that three techniques are suitable for the sort of investigation that is required. These techniques and others are discussed in terms of their ability to resolve the layers’ thickness and alignment, on sample preparation, and on the sample sizes they are able to process. Annotated images are presented and discussed for each of the three techniques and unsuitable techniques receive the same examination in the Supplementary Material.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 30 May 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 7 June 2019
Published date: 24 June 2019
Keywords: fibres, imaging, microscopy, PolScope, SBF-SEM, SEM, synchrotron X-ray imaging, β-keratin, μCT

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 434186
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/434186
ISSN: 0022-2720
PURE UUID: eeb85dc4-0b88-45d1-a424-0abecd5bb18d
ORCID for Christian Laurent: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2946-9705
ORCID for Richard Boardmans: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4008-0098
ORCID for Roeland De Kat: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6851-4409

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 13 Sep 2019 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:36

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Contributors

Author: Christian Laurent ORCID iD
Author: Sharif Ahmeds
Author: Richard Cook
Author: Gareth Dyke
Author: Colin Palmer
Author: Phillip Schneiders
Author: Roeland De Kat ORCID iD

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