No abstract

Mineral-producing organisms exert exquisite control on all aspects of biomineral production. Among shell-bearing organisms, a wide range of mineral fabrics are developed reflecting diverse modes of life that require different material properties. Our knowledge of how biomineral structures relate to material properties is still limited because it requires the determination of these properties on a detailed scale. Nanoindentation, mostly applied in engineering and materials science, is used here to assess, at the microstructural level, material properties of two calcite brachiopods living in the same environment but with different modes of life and shell ultrastructure. Values of hardness (H) and the Young modulus of elasticity (E) are determined by nanoindentation. In brachiopod shells, calcite semi-nacre provides a harder and stiffer structure (H approximately 3-6 GPa; E=60-110/120 GPa) than calcite fibres (H=0-3 GPa; E=20-60/80 GPa). Thus, brachiopods with calcite semi-nacre can cement to a substrate and remain immobile during their adult life cycle. This correlation between mode of life and material properties, as a consequence of ultrastructure, begins to explain why organisms produce a wide range of structures using the same chemical components, such as calcium carbonate.

This study determines the distribution of magnesium and sulphur in the shells of two species of brachiopod from the same environment to highlight environmental and biological influences on shell composition. In Terebratulina retusa there are differences in magnesium concentration between the primary layer and the outer and inner regions of the secondary layer. In contrast, Novocrania anomala has a shell composed of high magnesium calcite and there is no significant difference in magnesium concentration between the primary and the secondary shell layers. Sulphur provides an indication of the distribution of sulphated organic matrix within the shells of T. retusa and N. anomala. In T. retusa the distribution of magnesium and sulphur correlates across the shell; however, there is no evidence for a relationship between magnesium and sulphur distribution in N. anomala. The relationship between magnesium and sulphur in T. retusa indicates that a proportion of the magnesium content of the shell is associated with the sulphated fraction of the organic matrix. In these two species of brachiopod, from the same environment, magnesium and organic concentration and distribution are very different, emphasizing the importance of fully understanding the factors that control biomineral composition before the application of these biominerals to environmental studies

Fine-scale structures of intact modern and fossil coralline skeletons were analysed to determine alteration to secondary cements and phases using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). EBSD analysis revealed secondary aragonite cements in endolithic borings in the modern skeleton and whole dissepiments of the fossil skeleton replaced by calcite, despite X-ray diffraction (XRD) bulk analysis of the general area suggesting only aragonite was present. Non-destructive, in situ screening of coral samples by EBSD analysis provides a valuable tool for assessing the extent of alteration and can determine which areas may produce more reliable climate proxy data

Aragonite nacre is commonly found in the shells of molluscs, while semi nacre has been observed in the shells of organisms from two phyla: the Brachiopoda and the Bryozoa. Calcite semi nacre and aragonite nacre display similar morphologies with laminae composed of tablets that grow by screw dislocation. This study uses electron backscatter diffraction to compare the crystallography of calcite semi nacre from the shell of the Craniid brachiopod NoVocrania huttoni with aragonite nacre from the shell of the bivalve mollusc Mytilus edulis. Semi nacre and nacre are similar in morphology but ultimately have different crystallography. In N. huttoni calcite semi nacre, the c-axis lies parallel to the laminae of the secondary layer of the shell. In comparison, the c-axis of aragonite nacre in M. edulis is orientated perpendicular to the laminae. The crystallography of calcite semi nacre in the secondary layer of N. huttoni is similar to the crystallography of skeletal ultrastructures produced by bryozoans, while it differs from the crystallography described in other brachiopod genera.