Assessment of the mechanism of elemental incorporation into bivalve shells (Arctica islandica) based on elemental distribution at the microstructural scale

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 −0.006‰ per year. The most likely reason for the observed δ15NCBOM decline is a change in the type of proteins synthesized at different stages of life, i.e., a gradual shift from proteins rich in strongly fractionating, trophic amino acids during youth toward proteins rich in source amino acids during adulthood. Aside from this ontogenetic trend, distinct seasonal to multidecadal δ15NCBOM variations (ca. 50 to 60 years; up to 2.90‰) were identified. Presumably, the latter were governed by fluctuations in nutrient supply mediated by the Atlantic Multidecadal Variation (AMV) and Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) combined with changes in nitrate utilization by photoautotrophs and associated Rayleigh fractionation processes. Findings underline the outstanding potential of bivalve shells in studies of trophic ecology, oceanography and pollution, but also highlight the need for compound-specific isotope analyses.

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Mg in aragonitic bivalve shells: Seasonal variations and mode of incorporation in Arctica islandica

Chemical Geology ◽

10.1016/j.chemgeo.2008.06.007 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 254 (1-2) ◽

pp. 113-119 ◽

Cited By ~ 60

Author(s):

L.C. Foster ◽

A.A. Finch ◽

N. Allison ◽

C. Andersson ◽

L.J. Clarke

Keyword(s):

Seasonal Variations ◽

Arctica Islandica ◽

Bivalve Shells

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Decadal climate variability of the North Sea during the last millennium reconstructed from bivalve shells (Arctica islandica)

The Holocene ◽

10.1177/0959683614530438 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 24 (7) ◽

pp. 771-786 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Hilmar A Holland ◽

Bernd R Schöne ◽

Constanze Lipowsky ◽

Jan Esper

Keyword(s):

Climate Variability ◽

North Sea ◽

Last Millennium ◽

Decadal Climate Variability ◽

Arctica Islandica ◽

The North ◽

The North Sea ◽

Decadal Climate ◽

Bivalve Shells

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Temperature-induced microstructural changes in shells of laboratory-grown Arctica islandica (Bivalvia)

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0247968 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. e0247968

Author(s):

Nils Höche ◽

Eric O. Walliser ◽

Niels J. de Winter ◽

Rob Witbaard ◽

Bernd R. Schöne

Keyword(s):

Relative Proportion ◽

Microstructural Analysis ◽

Effect Of Temperature ◽

Potential Candidate ◽

Microstructural Properties ◽

Arctica Islandica ◽

Temperature Proxy ◽

Increasing Temperature ◽

Micrometer Scale ◽

Bivalve Shells

Bivalve shells are increasingly used as archives for high-resolution paleoclimate analyses. However, there is still an urgent need for quantitative temperature proxies that work without knowledge of the water chemistry–as is required for δ18O-based paleothermometry–and can better withstand diagenetic overprint. Recently, microstructural properties have been identified as a potential candidate fulfilling these requirements. So far, only few different microstructure categories (nacreous, prismatic and crossed-lamellar) of some short-lived species have been studied in detail, and in all such studies, the size and/or shape of individual biomineral units was found to increase with water temperature. Here, we explore whether the same applies to properties of the crossed-acicular microstructure in the hinge plate of Arctica islandica, the microstructurally most uniform shell portion in this species. In order to focus solely on the effect of temperature on microstructural properties, this study uses bivalves that grew their shells under controlled temperature conditions (1, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15°C) in the laboratory. With increasing temperature, the size of the largest individual biomineral units and the relative proportion of shell occupied by the crystalline phase increased. The size of the largest pores, a specific microstructural feature of A. islandica, whose potential role in biomineralization is discussed here, increased exponentially with culturing temperature. This study employs scanning electron microscopy in combination with automated image processing software, including an innovative machine learning–based image segmentation method. The new method greatly facilitates the recognition of microstructural entities and enables a faster and more reliable microstructural analysis than previously used techniques. Results of this study establish the new microstructural temperature proxy in the crossed-acicular microstructures of A. islandica and point to an overarching control mechanism of temperature on the micrometer-scale architecture of bivalve shells across species boundaries.

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Quantitative Electron Energy Loss Mapping

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100118898 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

pp. 404-405

Author(s):

R.D. Leapman ◽

C.R. Swyt

Keyword(s):

Energy Loss ◽

Electron Energy ◽

Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy ◽

Elemental Concentration ◽

Core Loss ◽

Elemental Distribution ◽

Electron Energy Loss

The intensity of a characteristic electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) image does not, in general, directly reflect the elemental concentration. In fact, the raw core loss image can give a misleading impression of the elemental distribution. This is because the measured core edge signal depends on the amount of plural scattering which can vary significantly from region to region in a sample. Here, we show how the method for quantifying spectra due to Egerton et al. can be extended to maps.

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X-Ray absorption edge elemental imaging of B. thuringienis

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100153038 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 212-213

Author(s):

R. L. Stears

Keyword(s):

Absorption Edge ◽

Elemental Distribution ◽

X Rays ◽

Differential Absorption ◽

Synchrotron Source ◽

High Brightness ◽

X Ray ◽

Elemental Imaging ◽

Cellular Integrity ◽

X Ray Absorption

Because of the nature of the bacterial endospore, little work has been done on analyzing their elemental distribution and composition in the intact, living, hydrated state. The majority of the qualitative analysis entailed intensive disruption and processing of the endospores, which effects their cellular integrity and composition.Absorption edge imaging permits elemental analysis of hydrated, unstained specimens at high resolution. By taking advantage of differential absorption of x-ray photons in regions of varying elemental composition, and using a high brightness, tuneable synchrotron source to obtain monochromatic x-rays, contact x-ray micrographs can be made of unfixed, intact endospores that reveal sites of elemental localization. This study presents new data demonstrating the application of x-ray absorption edge imaging to produce elemental information about nitrogen (N) and calcium (Ca) localization using Bacillus thuringiensis as the test specimen.

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Preparation of cultured astrocytes for x-ray microanalysis

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100156924 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 988-989

Author(s):

N.K.R. Smith ◽

K.E. Hunter ◽

P. Mobley ◽

L.P. Felpel

Keyword(s):

Cultured Cells ◽

Elemental Content ◽

Elemental Distribution ◽

Sprague Dawley ◽

X Ray ◽

Cultured Astrocytes ◽

Freeze Dried ◽

Ultimate Objective

Electron probe energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis (XRMA) offers a powerful tool for the determination of intracellular elemental content of biological tissue. However, preparation of the tissue specimen , particularly excitable central nervous system (CNS) tissue , for XRMA is rather difficult, as dissection of a sample from the intact organism frequently results in artefacts in elemental distribution. To circumvent the problems inherent in the in vivo preparation, we turned to an in vitro preparation of astrocytes grown in tissue culture. However, preparations of in vitro samples offer a new and unique set of problems. Generally, cultured cells, growing in monolayer, must be harvested by either mechanical or enzymatic procedures, resulting in variable degrees of damage to the cells and compromised intracel1ular elemental distribution. The ultimate objective is to process and analyze unperturbed cells. With the objective of sparing others from some of the same efforts, we are reporting the considerable difficulties we have encountered in attempting to prepare astrocytes for XRMA.Tissue cultures of astrocytes from newborn C57 mice or Sprague Dawley rats were prepared and cultured by standard techniques, usually in T25 flasks, except as noted differently on Cytodex beads or on gelatin. After different preparative procedures, all samples were frozen on brass pins in liquid propane, stored in liquid nitrogen, cryosectioned (0.1 μm), freeze dried, and microanalyzed as previously reported.

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