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

Science China Life Sciences volume 54, pages 175–180 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

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.

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Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    XiaoJun Liu, GuiLan Zheng, GuiYou Zhang, HongZhong Wang, LiPing Xie & RongQing Zhang

  2. Protein Science Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    LiPing Xie & RongQing Zhang

  3. Key Lab of Ecological Effect and Risk Assessment for Chemicals, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    ZhenGuang Yan

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  1. XiaoJun Liu
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  2. ZhenGuang Yan
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  3. GuiLan Zheng
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Correspondence to LiPing Xie or RongQing Zhang.

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Liu, X., Yan, Z., Zheng, G. et al. A possible mechanism for the formation of annual growth lines in bivalve shells. Sci. China Life Sci. 54, 175–180 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-010-4132-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-010-4132-z

Keywords

  • bivalves
  • shell microstructure
  • internal growth bands
  • the prismatic layer
  • the nacreous layer