Abstract
Spinning is a phenomenon not only present in spiders, but also in many other arthropods. The functional morphology and complexity of spinning organs is often poorly understood. Their elements are minute and studying them poses substantial methodological difficulties. This study presents a three-dimensional reconstruction of a silk gland of Embia sp. on cellular level, based on serial sections acquired with serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBFSEM) to showcase the power of this method. Previous studies achieved either high resolution to elucidate the ultrastructure or satisfying three-dimensional representations. The high-resolution achieved by SBFSEM can be easily used to reconstruct the three-dimensional ultrastructural organization of cellular structures. The herein investigated spinning apparatus of Embioptera can be taken as an example demonstrating the potential of this method. It was possible to reconstruct a multinucleated silk gland containing 63 nuclei. We focused on the applicability of this method in the field of morphological research and provide a step-by-step guide to the methodology. This will help in applying the method to other arthropod taxa and will help significantly in adapting the method to other animals, animal parts and tissues.
Highlights
The biological context in which arthropods use silk is very broad, ranging from prey capture through mating to the construction of domiciles [1,2]
We provide a three-dimensional reconstruction of cell organelles such as the nucleus, mitochondria and the Golgi apparatus of the spinning apparatus
The overall morphology of a spinning gland in Embioptera consists of three major structural units: the reservoir, a syncytial gland cell and the ejection apparatus [5]
Summary
The biological context in which arthropods use silk is very broad, ranging from prey capture through mating to the construction of domiciles [1,2]. Morphological studies, ask questions with respect to texture, composition and organization of a structural character Morphological techniques such as light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and more recently microcomputed X-ray tomography (μCT) have their distinct strengths and limitations. There are numerous fine examples of three-dimensional representations of morphological characters based on histological and TEM studies. This combination of units produces perfectly stacked high-resolution images [21,22] These images can be used to reconstruct a three-dimensional representation of the sample [26] depicting all structures on a cell level. We discuss the potentials of this method and provide a step-by-step protocol from an insect morphologist’s point of view
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