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Minerals
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Biomineralization in Marine Environments
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Biomineralization in Marine Environments

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomineralization and Biominerals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2023) | Viewed by 6874

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chiara Lombardi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ENEA Marine Environment Research Centre, Via Forte Santa Teresa, 19032 La Spezia, Italy
Interests: bryozoa; experimental ecology; biomineralization; marine bioconstructional ecosistems; climate change
Dr. Paul D. Taylor

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departments of Earth and Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5HD, UK
Interests: bryozoa; fossil invertebrates
Dr. Frédéric Marin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
UMR CNRS-EPHE 6282 Biogéosciences, Université de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
Interests: biomineralization; mollusks; skeletal organic matrices; evolution; diagenesis; proteomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomineralization in marine environments encompasses a variety of complex processes that have been shaped through the vastness of geological time. Both biomineralizing algae and animals are characterized by extremely specialized physiological pathways that are able to precipitate biominerals, the bricks of mineralized structures. The first evidence of such structures dates back to the Neoproterozoic period (740 million years ago), but it is only from the Cambrian period (540 million years ago) that biominerals become abundant in many different marine phyla.

Nowadays, marine biomineralizers are ubiquitous in the ocean and have adapted to live in extremely diverse environments, from polar regions to the tropics, and are well represented across taxa, showing a great variety of physiologies, anatomies, and habitats. The processes of biomineral formation, which involve molecules, structures, cells, and the whole ecosystem, are biologically driven but extremely complex, and most of the biomineralizing taxa are largely unknown. Furthermore, how the conditions and the location (i.e., molecular, structural, cellular level) of the environment influence the biomineral formation within taxa is still unclear.

Both unicellular, such as cocolothophores and foraminifera, or multicellular reef-forming contributors such as coralline algae, bryozoans, and corals, are all marine biomineralizers that represent a great resource for the oceans of the future. The results of complex physiologies are organisms that are able to provide several ecosystem services, such as those related to climate regulation (i.e., carbonate storage), food provisioning (i.e., shellfish production), and habitat support (i.e., biodiversity promotion) as well as cultural services (i.e., diving or snorkeling activities). More than 60 different minerals are known in modern organisms, and new biominerals as well as associated molecules continue to be discovered, representing important resources for other applications (i.e., pharmaceutics). Thus, there is a growing need to fill gaps in the biomineralization knowledge within taxa to understand the fate of marine biomineralizers in the oceans of the future.

This Special Issue welcomes all type of papers on biomineralization in marine organisms, from molecules, structures, cells, and the whole ecosystem, including the evolution of biomineralization over time and future adaptive strategies for biomineralizers that under climate change threats.

Dr. Chiara Lombardi
Dr. Paul Taylor
Dr. Frédéric Marin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biomineralization
  • evolution
  • climate change
  • molecules
  • biomineralized structure
  • ecosystems

Published Papers (3 papers)

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20 pages, 3540 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Relationship between Growth Rate, Shell Morphology, and Trace Element Composition of the Pacific Littleneck Clam (Leukoma staminea): Implications for Paleoclimate Reconstructions
by Hannah L. Kempf, David A. Gold and Sandra J. Carlson
Minerals 2023, 13(6), 814; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min13060814 - 14 Jun 2023
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Abstract
Due to their robust preservation and widespread nature, marine bivalve shells are increasingly used as informative, high-resolution records of past environmental conditions. Unfortunately, few studies have investigated variability amongst individuals in a genetic cohort and throughout their ontogeny. We measured several morphological properties [...] Read more.
Due to their robust preservation and widespread nature, marine bivalve shells are increasingly used as informative, high-resolution records of past environmental conditions. Unfortunately, few studies have investigated variability amongst individuals in a genetic cohort and throughout their ontogeny. We measured several morphological properties and the element patterning of 200-day-old juvenile Leukoma staminea (Conrad, 1837) grown in identical conditions from the same reproductive cohort. We hypothesized that slower shell growth would correspond to the reduced incorporation of trace/minor elements (Sr, Mg, and S) in the aragonite lattice, as has been documented in other biomineralizing marine invertebrates. Microprobe analyses of adult shells revealed higher levels of S, Sr, and Mg in the dark, slower-growing growth lines compared to the light, faster-growing increments, particularly in the inner shell layer, thus refuting our hypothesis. Moreover, elemental count variation within single adult shells generally tracked changes in shell microstructure (i.e., higher counts in prismatic microstructures) and growth line patterns, and these differences are detectable on a micrometer scale. Juvenile shells of different sizes showed variation in S, Sr, and Mg counts as well, but it was unclear whether the variability closely tracked changes in microstructure, body size, and/or growth line patterns. In all individuals, regardless of life stage, the outermost shell layer showed higher Sr and S count values, and these elements closely mirrored each other within individual shells. The results presented herein represent the first in-depth description of the shell mineralogy, microstructure, body size variability, and geochemical properties of modern L. staminea, a common eastern Pacific, shallow, infaunal bivalve, allowing for the rigorous evaluation of L. staminea shells as recorders of past environmental and biological change. Significant intraspecific variation in the young body size, growth band patterning, and elemental composition of individuals of the same age and genetic stock complicates the use of size alone as a proxy for age in historical studies. Additionally, elemental composition shifted from high to low values (for example, Sr ranging from ~190 to 100 counts) at a very fine (micrometer) scale within single shells, as evidenced by visible correlations between microstructure and elemental composition. While young L. staminea shells are likely not useful as archives of (paleo)environmental conditions, adult L. staminea shells are likely suitable if micrometer-scale variability in shell structure and chemistry is accounted for. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomineralization in Marine Environments)
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26 pages, 5469 KiB  
Article
Antarctic Bioconstructional Bryozoans from Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea): Morphology, Skeletal Structures and Biomineralization
by Chiara Lombardi, Piotr Kuklinski, Edoardo Spirandelli, Giorgio Bruzzone, Giancarlo Raiteri, Andrea Bordone, Claudio Mazzoli, Matthias López Correa, Robert van Geldern, Laurent Plasseraud, Jérôme Thomas and Frédéric Marin
Minerals 2023, 13(2), 246; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min13020246 - 09 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1754
Abstract
Among Antarctic bryozoans, some species are able to develop calcitic bioconstructions promoting habitat complexity, but the processes leading to biomineral formation are mostly unknown. The present work investigated three Antarctic bryozoans, from morphological to skeletal features, including the organic matrix associated with the [...] Read more.
Among Antarctic bryozoans, some species are able to develop calcitic bioconstructions promoting habitat complexity, but the processes leading to biomineral formation are mostly unknown. The present work investigated three Antarctic bryozoans, from morphological to skeletal features, including the organic matrix associated with the skeleton (SOM). Cellarinella nutti Rogick, 1956 and Reteporella frigida Waters, 1904 were collected in November 2018 from a shallow site (25 m) and Cellarinella njegovanae Rogick, 1956 from a deep site (110 m) at Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica). Both Cellarinella species showed 5–6 “growth check lines” (gcl) on their laminae. The morphometrical characterization conducted on the growth bands (gb) and zooids, within the band across bands, revealed a variability in length with time (C. nutti: from 4099 µm for gb1 to 1449 µm for gb6; C. njegovanae: from 1974 µm for gb 3 to 7127 µm for gb2). Zooid length varied within gb, from the proximal to the distal part of the bands, but differences also occurred across bands. The shortest zooids (~625 µm) were found at the proximal part and the longest (~ 1190 µm) in the middle part of the gb in C. nutti, whereas in C. njegovanae the shortest zooids (~ 660 µm) were found in the distal part and the longest (~1190 µm) in the proximal part of the gb. Micro-CT analyses indicated the ratio of basal zooidal walls (RbwT gcl/gb) ranged from 3.0 to 4.9 in C. nutti and from 2.3 to 5.9 in C. njegovanae, whereas Reteporella frigida did not form any gcl on either side of the colony. Preliminary characterizations of the SOM for the three species evidenced a mixture of proteins and polysaccharides with properties similar to those of better-known biominerals, in terms of quantity and electrophoretic behavior. In addition, a “lectin fingerprint” has been established for the first time in bryozoans, displaying the presence of chitin or chitin-related saccharides. Understanding the complexity of the processes regulating skeleton formation is a key aspect in comprehending the adaptation of bioconstructional ecosystems and the survival of the associated biodiversity under the future ocean. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomineralization in Marine Environments)
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18 pages, 10869 KiB  
Article
Structural and Geochemical Assessment of the Coralline Alga Tethysphytum antarcticum from Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea, Antarctica
by Matthias López Correa, Sebastian Teichert, Federica Ragazzola, Salvador Cazorla Vázquez, Felix B. Engel, Katrin Hurle, Claudio Mazzoli, Piotr Kuklinski, Giancarlo Raiteri and Chiara Lombardi
Minerals 2023, 13(2), 215; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/min13020215 - 02 Feb 2023
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Abstract
Crustose coralline algae (CCA) occur from the tropics to the poles in photic benthic environments. Here, we report on some of the world’s southernmost and coldest CCA sites in Terra Nova, Ross Sea, Antarctica at 74°41′ S. The recently described red alga Tethysphytum [...] Read more.
Crustose coralline algae (CCA) occur from the tropics to the poles in photic benthic environments. Here, we report on some of the world’s southernmost and coldest CCA sites in Terra Nova, Ross Sea, Antarctica at 74°41′ S. The recently described red alga Tethysphytum antarticum is investigated for its skeletal architecture, its mineralogical and geochemical composition, as well as for its taxonomic classification. A phylogenetic analysis based on molecular genetics and the sequencing of the photosystem II protein D1 (psbA) gave a perfect match with T. antarcticum. Histological sections and micro-CT-scans provide new diagnostic details for the conceptacles (the reproductive organs of the alga). X-ray diffractometry and electron-microprobe measurements yielded a clear high-Mg calcite (~8 mol%) composition of the skeletal parts. Detailed back-scattered electron imaging of polished petrographic thin sections revealed a two-layered thallus (vegetative plant tissue), comprising an organic-rich irregularly calcified basal layer with rectangular cells, overlain by the main thallus. Elemental maps show relatively increased sulphur in the basal layer, clearly tied to organic cell walls. MgCO3 and SrCO3 were targeted with semiquantitative elemental mappings and in an ontogenetic quantitative spot transect. Compared with temperature (−1.95 °C to +1.08 °C), the MgCO3 (mol%) reflects this world’s coldest CCA site temperature with the lowest MgCO3 content of 7.9 ± 1.6 mol%. The along transect variability, however, shows with ~6 mol% a larger MgCO3 variability than expected for the 3 °C intra-annual temperature amplitude in Terra Nova Bay. This implies that in low amplitude settings the biomineralisation control on Mg/Ca ratios can outcompete its temperature sensitivity. Mark-recapture studies, next to the environmental logger station La Zecca are suggested, to perform a detailed growth rate and biomineralisation quantification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomineralization in Marine Environments)
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