Abstract
Most studies designed to better understand biomineralization by foraminifera focus mainly on their shell chemistry in order to retrace processes responsible for element uptake and shell formation. Still, shell formation is a combination of not only chemical and biological processes, but is also limited by structural features. Since the processes involved in the formation of the foraminifera shell remains elusive, new focus has been put on potential structural constraints during shell formation. Revealing structural details of shells of foraminifera might increase our mechanistic understanding of foraminifera calcification, and even explain species-specific differences in element incorporation. Recently, shell structures have been studied in increasingly higher resolution and detail. This paper aims to provide new insights on the structural features on foraminifera shells, so-called cogwheels, which can be observed in the shell wall and at its surface. Here, we present a novel method to image and quantify these cogwheel structures, using field specimens from different environments and ecological groups, including benthic and planktonic species. Application of this method allows for comparing shell structures at specimen and species level, to unravel potential drivers of shell formation.
Highlights
IntroductionThe chemical and isotopic composition of the shell has been successfully used to quantify past seawater temperature, salinity and carbonate system parameters (e.g., Shackleton, 1987; Barker et al, 2005; Rae et al, 2011; Wit et al, 2013; Foster and Rae, 2016)
Foraminifera are favorite tools for paleoceanography to reconstruct past climate
We focused the development of our method to quantify shell surface and pore patterns on two species of foraminifera with contrasting ecology, which are abundant in our samples and are well-studied representatives from their respective groups: the intertidal benthic Ammonia spp. and the planktonic G. menardii
Summary
The chemical and isotopic composition of the shell has been successfully used to quantify past seawater temperature, salinity and carbonate system parameters (e.g., Shackleton, 1987; Barker et al, 2005; Rae et al, 2011; Wit et al, 2013; Foster and Rae, 2016). Most approaches to unravel biomineralization processes in foraminifera calcification focus solely on single species and mainly investigate shell chemistry to retrace element uptake. Shell formation is a combination of chemical and biological processes, limited by structural constraints like organic templates and crystallographic orientation of the calcium carbonate crystals (e.g., Nakajima et al, 2016; Nagai et al, 2018; Tyszka et al, 2019), and all these aspects have to be considered when trying to explain calcification on successive taxonomic levels. This paper aims to provide new insights on the structural constraints and features of shell construction, as observed in the shell wall and on the shell surface
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
