The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2012;7(9):e44276. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044276. Epub 2012 Sep 11.
Understanding of soil processes is essential for addressing the global issues of food security, disease transmission and climate change. However, techniques for observing soil biology are lacking. We present a heterogeneous, porous, transparent substrate for in situ 3D imaging of living plants and root-associated microorganisms using particles of the transparent polymer, Nafion, and a solution with matching optical properties. Minerals and fluorescent dyes were adsorbed onto the Nafion particles for nutrient supply and imaging of pore size and geometry. Plant growth in transparent soil was similar to that in soil. We imaged colonization of lettuce roots by the human bacterial pathogen Escherichia coli O157:H7 showing micro-colony development. Micro-colonies may contribute to bacterial survival in soil. Transparent soil has applications in root biology, crop genetics and soil microbiology.
理解土壤过程对于解决粮食安全、疾病传播和气候变化等全球性问题至关重要。然而，目前缺乏观察土壤生物的技术。我们提出了一种不均匀、多孔、透明的基质，用于使用透明聚合物 Nafion 颗粒和具有匹配光学特性的溶液对活体植物和根相关微生物进行原位 3D 成像。矿物质和荧光染料被吸附到 Nafion 颗粒上，以提供营养物质并对孔径和几何形状进行成像。植物在透明土壤中的生长与在土壤中的生长相似。我们通过成像观察到人类细菌病原体大肠杆菌 O157:H7 对生菜根的定植，显示出微菌落的发育。微菌落可能有助于细菌在土壤中的存活。透明土壤在根生物学、作物遗传学和土壤微生物学中有应用。
