High resolution x-ray tomography for the biosciences

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The interface between the physical and life sciences offers some of the most exciting challenges in contemporary bioscience. In this regard, the interaction between the physical and biological components in complex biomaterials is particularly relevant and exciting. The most important challenges are to simultaneously characterise the spatial complexity of both the physical and biotic material, to link this characterisation to the function and spatio-temporal dynamics of the material, and the procurement of a sufficiently wide skill base required to integrate the knowledge. We believe we have developed the necessary competency in all areas except for the first, and in this proposal we request a contribution to the funding for a low energy x-ray CT capable of 3D imaging of biomaterials. The instrument, made by X-Tek of Tring in the UK, has the capability of imaging at the sufficiently low energies required to simultaneously image soft (low electron dense) biological and hard (heterogeneous and electron dense) physical material. It will contain a growth chamber suitable for sustaining living material in the instrument in a controlled environment for sufficiently long time periods to sample the spatio-temporal dynamics. We intend to use the instrument to complement an extensive portfolio of grants currently focussed on the interaction between physical and biological components of the soil-plant-microbe system. Our long term goal is to understand the factors that are implicated in the sustainable exploitation of the ecosystem services provided by the system, and therefore to integrate the relevant ecological, evolutionary and soil physical processes. Towards this, we need to understand the linkages between the physics and biology in order to develop an integrated description. We will progress this by immediately embarking on a coordinated programme of 3 research projects. The first of these will focus on the soil-plant interface and the link between soil structure and root uptake. The second will focus on the link between root growth and the genesis of soil structure with the aim of developing an understanding of the capacity of the soil-plant-microbe system to self-organise. The third focuses on the role of structure in affecting the movement of soil organisms towards roots. Finally we present a summary of the theoretical approaches that we have developed and indicate how these will be used to develop the integrative framework.