Search results for "Periostracum"
showing 4 items of 4 documents
Effects of sample pretreatment and external contamination on bivalve shell and Carrara marble δ18O and δ13C signatures
2017
Abstract Stable isotope signatures of bivalve shells serve as important paleoclimate proxies. However, such data can be biased as a consequence of physical and chemical sample pretreatment and contamination during sampling. As yet, the potential isotope error induced by paleontological preservation techniques and specific methods used in bivalve sclerochronology have not been systematically assessed. To address these issues, homogenized powder of a well-preserved, aragonitic fossil shell, Glycymeris obovata (ca. 30 Ma old) as well as Carrara marble powder (calcite) were exposed to ultrasound, a set of different staining solutions and cleaning agents. In addition, these reference materials w…
Mollusc and brachiopod skeletal hard parts: Intricate archives of their marine environment
2015
The biogenic carbonate hard parts of fossil bivalves, cephalopods and brachiopods are among the most widely exploited marine archives of Phanerozoic environmental and climate dynamics research. The advent of novel analytical tools has led many workers to explore non-traditional geochemical and petrographic proxies, and work performed in neighbouring disciplines sheds light on the complex biomineralization strategies applied by these organisms. These considerations form a strong motivation to review the potential and problems related to the compilation and interpretation of proxy data from bivalve, cephalopod and brachiopod hard parts from the viewpoint of the sedimentologist and palaeoceano…
Amorphous calcium carbonate in the shells of adult Unionoida
2011
Shells of adult individuals from two different bivalve families, Hyriopsis cumingii and Diplodon chilensis patagonicus, were studied by Micro-Raman spectroscopy and Focussed Ion Beam-assisted TEM. The shells contain amorphous calcium carbonate in a zone at the interface between the periostracum and the prismatic layer. In this area, the initial prism structures protrude from the inner periostracum layer and it is demonstrated that these structures systematically consist of highly disordered and amorphous calcium carbonate. Within this zone, ordered and disordered areas are intermingled discounting the existence of a crystallization front and favouring models of domainal crystallization proc…
Ontogenetic δ15N Trends and Multidecadal Variability in Shells of the Bivalve Mollusk, Arctica islandica
2021
Bulk stable nitrogen isotope values of the carbonate-bound organic matrix in bivalve shells (δ15NCBOM) are increasingly used to assess past food web dynamics, track anthropogenic nitrogen pollution and reconstruct hydrographic changes. However, it remains unresolved if the δ15NCBOM values are also affected by directed ontogenetic trends which can bias ecological and environmental interpretations. This very aspect is tested here with modern and fossil specimens of the long-lived ocean quahog, Arctica islandica, collected from different sites and water depths in the NE Atlantic Ocean. As demonstrated, δ15NCBOM values from the long chronologies show a general decrease through lifetime by −0.00…