Sabellaria alveolata sandcastle worm from the Mediterranean Sea: new insights on tube architecture and biocement
| Autor: | Adriano Guido, Rossana Sanfilippo, Alfio Viola, Claudia Deias, Antonietta Rosso, Adelaide Mastandrea |
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| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine agglutinate tube structure present-day Mineralogy 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences bioconstruction Sabellaria alveolata 03 medical and health sciences Sandcastle worm protein glue Mediterranean sea Mediterranean Sea Animals Reef Polychaete geography geography.geographical_feature_category biology Sabellaridae Sediment Animal Structures Proteins Polychaeta biology.organism_classification Biomechanical Phenomena 030104 developmental biology Sicily Strait Clastic rock Animal Science and Zoology Calcium Layer (electronics) Developmental Biology |
| Zdroj: | Journal of morphologyREFERENCES. 280(12) |
| ISSN: | 1097-4687 |
| Popis: | The Atlantic-Mediterranean polychaete Sabellaria alveolata lives in agglutinated tubes adjoined to each other to form discrete reef-like bioconstructions in shallow-water settings characterised by high hydrodynamic energy where sediment particles are constantly resuspended. Tubes are built with sand grains glued by proteinaceous secretions. Analyses of a reef fragment collected near Sampieri (SE Sicily, Sicily Strait) allowed the first detailed description of the tube architecture and biocement of this worms from the Mediterranean. The tube consists of an inner thin organic membrane and three agglutinated layers including: (a) a thin inner layer of flat grains arranged side by side; (b) a thick mid layer with a frame of relatively large sub-rounded grains with cavities partly filled by small grains; and (c) a thin outer layer of large, flat to curved, usually biogenic clasts diverging towards the opening. This particular architecture is distinctive of the family. Morphological and epifluorescence observations revealed that biocement consists of drops at the contact between sub-spherical grains and strips along edges of flat grains. Biocement is a solid foam-like material characterised by high abundance of carbon; the presence of phosphorous and nitrogen confirms its proteinaceous composition. Due to the electrostatic interaction with the proteins, calcium and magnesium are most likely complexed to the cement rather than being trapped in the cells. These elements contribute to the solidification of the glue and stabilisation of the tube structure. However, the organic nature of cement and the high energy of their habitat, make sabellariid reefs dynamic and ephemeral, and the preservation as fossils unlikely, with a confident record only extending back to the Miocene. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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