Abstract
Use is made of the argon ion-bombardment technique to reduce the thickness of calcium carbonate shells of the bivalvesMytilus andMercenaria for transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction, with comparison of single-stage replicas of similar specimens serving as controls. As an additional approach to shell structure studies, it gives results which support earlier published work with both replicas and scanning microscopy. In addition, a “frothy” structure is detected in the shell aragonites, especially inMytilus nacre. As a heat-induced artifact, it is interpreted as representing trapped water and organic material inclusions, an interpretation consistent with several published chemical and electron microscope studies.
Résumé
La technique du bombardement à l'aide d'ion d'argon est utilisée pour réduire l'épaisseur de la coquille de carbonate de calcium des bivalvesMytilus etMercenaria pour examen au microscope électronique par transmission et en diffraction électronique; une comparaison est réalisée à l'aide de répliques simples, servant de témoins. Les résultats obtenus confirment les études antérieures de répliques et de microscopie par balayage. De plus, une structure “aérée” est mise en évidence dans la coquille des aragonites, et surtout dans le nacre deMytilus. Cette structure est interprêtée comme un artefact induit par la chaleur, formé par l'inclusion d'eau et de matériel organique, interprétation qui concorde avec les études chimiques et de microscopie électronique.
Zusammenfassung
Die Beschießung mit Argonionen wurde angewendet, um die Dicke von Calciumcarbonat-Schalen der zweischaligen MuschelnMytilus undMercenaria zu reduzieren. Diese Technik erlaubte die Ausführung von Transmissions-Elektronenmikroskopie und Elektronendiffraktion, wobei gleiche Proben nach einer bereits bestehenden Methode vorbereitet und als Kontrollen herangezogen wurden. Es wurden zusätzliche Resultate zu den Muschelstruktur-studien erhalten, welche früher publizierte Arbeiten unterstützen, die mit der Abklatschmethode und der Raster-Elektronenmikroskopie ausgeführt worden waren. Zusätzlich wurde eine „schaumartige” Struktur der Muschelaragoniten, besonders im Perlmutter vonMytilus, beobachtet. Da es sich um ein durch Hitze verursachtes Artefakt handelt, wird diese Struktur als Einschlüsse von Wasser und organischem Material interpretiert, was den Befunden von verschiedenen veröffentlichten chemischen und elektronenmikroskopischen Arbeiten entspricht.
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Towe, K.M., Thompson, G.R. The structure of some bivalve shell carbonates prepared by ion-beam thinning. Calc. Tis Res. 10, 38–48 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02012534
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02012534