Premium
Sturgeon and paddlefish (Acipenseridae) sagittal otoliths are composed of the calcium carbonate polymorphs vaterite and calcite
Author(s) -
Pracheil B. M.,
Chakoumakos B. C.,
Feygenson M.,
Whitledge G. W.,
Koenigs R. P.,
Bruch R. M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/jfb.13085
Subject(s) - vaterite , calcite , otolith , biology , calcium carbonate , sturgeon , fishery , carbonate , aragonite , mineralogy , zoology , fish <actinopterygii> , geology , paleontology , chemistry , organic chemistry
This study sought to resolve whether sturgeon (Acipenseridae) sagittae (otoliths) contain a non‐vaterite fraction and to quantify how large a non‐vaterite fraction is using neutron diffraction analysis. This study found that all otoliths examined had a calcite fraction that ranged from 18 ± 6 to 36 ± 3% by mass. This calcite fraction is most probably due to biological variation during otolith formation rather than an artefact of polymorph transformation during preparation.