Microboring in a Freshwater Fluvial Unionid Bivalve Substrate

Abstract

Samples of the unionid bivalve Elliptio complanata were collected from the channel of the freshwater Saint John River, from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Scanning electron microscopy imaging of prepared shell samples revealed an assemblage of microborings. No borings are noted on the periostracum or prismatic shell layers. Boring structures are instead confined to the underlying nacreous aragonitic shell material, together with its associated organic conchiolin layers. Three main styles of boring are encountered, encompassing both predominantly surficial structures and penetrative tubular borings. Surficial structures are represented by a polygonal network on an exposed conchiolin shell layer. The penetrative borings take two forms, one being simple unbranched tubes, steeply aligned (perpendicular to the shell surface) and traversing the full thickness of the nacreous shell layer. The other penetrative boring style, again occurring within the nacreous layer, comprises a complex irregular network of randomly oriented rarely branching tubular borings. Borings generally display diameters of micron scale. Biofilm and extracellular polymeric substances, with bacterial, diatomaceous and filamentous components are also observed, often displaying a close association with both the borings and the conchiolin layers within the shell. The formation of the borings may be attributed to cyanobacteria, cyanophyte or fungal progenitors.