Nanostructural Study of a Devonian Sporoderm

Abstract

The results of sporoderm studies for Paleozoic spores are obtained for the first time on a nanotomographic scanner. They are comparable to the results obtained on a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmitting electron microscope (TEM), verifying the interpretation of structures of the external and internal structure of the sporoderm for the objects studied. A nanotomographic scanner enables us to carry out complex studies of different sporoderm projections and to visualize the relationships and arrangement of its components without damaging the integrity of the object and losing unique Paleozoic material. Application of a nanotomographic scanner also reduces the time taken for object preparation for examination on a SEM or TEM. The nanosculpture of the exosporium of Devonian Kryshtofovichia africani Nikitin megaspores is revealed to show its two-layer structure, with the thicknesses and locations of the layers established.