Scanning Electron Microscope for Systematic Biology

摘要 Hormiga 变压扫描电子显微镜 (SEM)、临界点干燥机和溅射镀膜机将用于各种生物体的系统生物学研究。 该扫描电镜将用于收集各种现存和灭绝生物体的形态数据。 该设备与现有的解剖和光学显微镜、用于显微镜的 CCD 数码相机、扫描仪和计算机工作站一起，将用于在乔治华盛顿大学生物科学系建立核心显微镜和图像分析设施。 获得 SEM 对于实现乔治华盛顿大学生物科学和人类学系的六个研究小组（其中四个目前由 NSF 资助的活跃项目）的目标至关重要。 目前至少有 7 名教员、两名博士后和 17 名研究生将使用该仪器。以下研究项目将使用提案中描述的 SEM 设施：蜘蛛的系统学；开花植物的进化史；骨骼组织生长的扫描电镜分析；纤毛原生生物的系统学；恐龙和其他中生代爬行动物的解剖学和系统发育；以及授精骨鱼的精子、精子和第二性器官的扫描电镜分析。在接下来的三年里，这些研究人员及其合作者和学生将必须在本提案中描述的研究项目过程中拍摄大约 21,000 张 SEM 显微照片。

Abstract Hormiga A variable pressure scanningelectron microscope (SEM), a critical point dryer and a sputter coater will be used forresearch in the systematic biology of various groups of organisms. This SEMwill be used to collect morphological data of a wide variety of living andextinct organisms. This equipment, together with existing dissecting andlight microscopes, a CCD digital camera for microscopy, scanners andcomputer workstations will be used to establish a core microscopy and imageanalysis facility in the Department of Biological Sciences at GeorgeWashington University. Access to SEM is essential to accomplish the goalsof six research groups (four of them with active projects currently fundedby NSF) in the departments of Biological Sciences and Anthropology at TheGeorge Washington University. At present at least seven faculty, twopostdocs, and 17 graduate students will be using this instrument. The following research projects will use the SEMfacility described in the proposal: Systematics of araneoid spiders; Evolutionary history of flowering plants; SEM analysis of skeletal tissue growth;Systematics of Ciliated Protista; Anatomy andphylogeny of dinosaurs and other mesozoic reptiles; andSEM analysis of spermatozoa, spermatozeugmata, and secondary sex organs ofinseminating ostariophysan fishes. Over the next three years these researchers andtheir collaborators and students will have to take an estimated 21,000 SEMmicrographs in the course of the research projects described in thisproposal.