A possible mechanism for the formation of annual growth lines in bivalve shells

We report a unique shell margin that differed from the usual shell structure of Pinctada fucata . We observed empty organic envelopes in the prismatic layer and the formation of the nacreous layer in the shell margin. All the characteristics of the growing margin indicated that the shell was growing...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science China. Life sciences 2011-02, Vol.54 (2), p.175-180
Main Authors: Liu, XiaoJun, Yan, ZhenGuang, Zheng, GuiLan, Zhang, GuiYou, Wang, HongZhong, Xie, LiPing, Zhang, RongQing
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging - physiology
Animals
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Bivalvia
Life Sciences
Pinctada - anatomy & histology
Pinctada - growth & development
Pinctada - ultrastructure
Pinctada fucata
Research Papers
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We report a unique shell margin that differed from the usual shell structure of Pinctada fucata . We observed empty organic envelopes in the prismatic layer and the formation of the nacreous layer in the shell margin. All the characteristics of the growing margin indicated that the shell was growing rapidly. To explain this anomaly, we propose the concept of “jumping development”. During jumping development, the center of growth in the bivalve shell jumps forward over a short time interval when the position of the mantle changes. Jumping development explains the unusual structure of the anomalous shell and the development of annual growth lines in typical shells. Annual growth lines are the result of a discontinuity in the shell microstructure induced by jumping development.
ISSN:1674-7305
1869-1889
DOI:10.1007/s11427-010-4132-z