Loughborough University
Browse

Supplementary information files for Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as a non-destructive method for analysing herbarium specimens

Download (7.08 MB)
dataset
posted on 2023-10-30, 11:02 authored by M Barnes, J Sulé-Suso, Jonathan MillettJonathan Millett, Paul RoachPaul Roach

Supplementary files for article Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as a non-destructive method for analysing herbarium specimens

Dried plant specimens stored in herbaria are an untapped treasure chest of information on environmental conditions, plant evolution and change over many hundreds of years. Owing to their delicate nature and irreplaceability, there is limited access for analysis to these sensitive samples, particularly where chemical data are obtained using destructive techniques. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a chemical analysis technique which can be applied non-destructively to understand chemical bonding information and, therefore, functional groups within the sample. This provides the potential for understanding geographical, spatial and species-specific variation in plant biochemistry. Here, we demonstrate the use of mid-FTIR microspectroscopy for the chemical analysis of Drosera rotundifolia herbarium specimens, which were collected 100 years apart from different locations. Principal component and hierarchical clustering analysis enabled differentiation between three main regions on the plant (lamina, tentacle stalk and tentacle head), and between the different specimens. Lipids and protein spectral regions were particularly sensitive differentiators of plant tissues. Differences between the different sets of specimens were smaller. This study demonstrates that relevant information can be extracted from herbarium specimens using FTIR, with little impact on the specimens. FTIR, therefore, has the potential to be a powerful tool to unlock historic information within herbaria.

Funding

NERC discipline hopping award

History

School

  • Social Sciences and Humanities

Department

  • Chemistry

Usage metrics

    Chemistry

    Licence

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC