A non-destructive technique for chemical mapping of insect inclusions in amber
- Published
- Accepted
- Subject Areas
- Entomology, Paleontology, Science and Medical Education
- Keywords
- synchrotron, x-ray fluorescence, fossil, preservation, Formicidae, amber, imaging, palaeontology
- Copyright
- © 2016 Popovski Kolaceke et al.
- Licence
- This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ Preprints) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
- Cite this article
- 2016. A non-destructive technique for chemical mapping of insect inclusions in amber. PeerJ Preprints 4:e2337v1 https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.2337v1
Abstract
Synchrotron-based techniques offer a wealth of elemental, molecular, and structural insights in biological samples, but the application of these techniques to fossils is a relatively new development. Here we examine how Synchrotron Radiation Micro X-Ray Fluorescence (SR µXRF) provides insights into the chemical composition of insects trapped in amber, while leaving the inclusions unaltered. By analyzing a series of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) that range from modern material, to Eocene Baltic amber, and Late Cretaceous North Carolina amber, we investigate how variable preservation influences the results obtained through SR µXRF analyses, as well as the various merits and pitfalls associated with the application of this technique to amber inclusions. The initial results from this line of research are encouraging. They provide new avenues to study elements that are original to the specimens involved, as well as those generated through decay, or introduced during taphonomic processes. This new technique also suggests a range of complementary techniques that may allow future studies to pursue traces of original colour and cuticular reinforcement in amber inclusions. Ultimately, this work serves as an introduction to the underlying principles, strengths, and limitations associated with applying SR µXRF in a palaeontological context.
Author Comment
This is a submission to PeerJ for review.