Westneat Mark W, Socha John J, Lee Wah-Keat
Department of Zoology, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL 60605, USA.
Annu Rev Physiol. 2008;70:119-42. doi: 10.1146/annurev.physiol.70.113006.100434.
Studies of the physiology and biomechanics of small ( approximately 1 cm) organisms are often limited by the inability to see inside the animal during a behavior or process of interest and by a lack of three-dimensional morphology at the submillimeter scale. These constraints can be overcome by an imaging probe that has sensitivity to soft tissue, the ability to penetrate opaque surfaces, and high spatial and temporal resolution. Synchrotron X-ray imaging has been successfully used to visualize millimeter-centimeter-sized organisms with micrometer-range spatial resolutions in fixed and living specimens. Synchrotron imaging of small organisms has been the key to recent novel insights into structure and function, particularly in the area of respiratory physiology and function of insects. X-ray imaging has been effectively used to examine the morphology of tracheal systems, the mechanisms of tracheal and air sac compression in insects, and the function of both chewing and sucking mouthparts in insects. Synchrotron X-ray imaging provides an exciting new window into the internal workings of small animals, with future promise to contribute to a range of physiological and biomechanical questions in comparative biology.
对小型（约1厘米）生物体的生理学和生物力学研究常常受到限制，原因在于在感兴趣的行为或过程中无法观察动物内部情况，以及缺乏亚毫米尺度的三维形态信息。一种对软组织敏感、能够穿透不透明表面且具有高空间和时间分辨率的成像探针可以克服这些限制。同步加速器X射线成像已成功用于在固定和活体标本中以微米级空间分辨率可视化毫米至厘米大小的生物体。小型生物体的同步加速器成像一直是近期对结构和功能有新见解的关键，特别是在昆虫呼吸生理学和功能领域。X射线成像已有效地用于检查气管系统的形态、昆虫气管和气囊压缩的机制，以及昆虫咀嚼式和刺吸式口器的功能。同步加速器X射线成像为小型动物的内部运作提供了一个令人兴奋的新窗口，有望在未来为比较生物学中的一系列生理学和生物力学问题做出贡献。
