to each other, and the vaterite crystal sticks in different layers are parallel one
another.
Level 4: daily growth ring
Figure 6.8e shows the daily ring structure of asteriscus. The width of each
growth increment is about 10–20 mm. A daily ring comprises an increase belt and
interval belt, the increase belt is wide and bright, mainly composed of calcium
carbonate, and the interval belt is narrow and opaque, mainly composed of organic
matrices.
Level 5: the whole asteriscus
Different growth rings pile up in certain ways and form the whole asteriscus,
whose diameter is about 4 mm.
From the hierarchical structures of lapilli, sagittae, and asterisci, it can be seen
that each kind of otolith has its particular structure and morphology. Both materials
sciences and biology can benefit from this basic study which will be also relevant to
the fish ecology and environmental chemistry. The self-assembled structure of
natural biomaterials is always intimately associated with the versatile properties.
The orientation domain structure, which is found in the lapillus, is not unique in the
otolith. Feng and her group had found a domain structure in nacre of the Mytilus
edulis shell (Feng et al. 1999). Those domains consisted of 3–10 continuous flat
platelets perpendicular to the nacre plane. The aragonite crystals of the neighboring
domains had the same c-axes but different a-axes. The directions of the assembled
aragonite sticks of lapilli are more complicated than those of nacre platelets,
because the long axes of the sticks do not point to the same directions; furthermore,
the aragonite sticks, which are bundled of parallel fibrils, are not the basic units of
Fig. 6.8 The five hierarchical levels of organization of the carp asteriscus. (a) Level 1: the vaterite
nanocrystals observed by HRTEM and SEAD, (b) Level 2: SEM micrograph of vaterite crystal
sticks; (c) Level 3: SEM micrograph of vaterite crystal layers, the thickness of each layer is about
2 mm; (d) Level 4: SEM micrograph of domain areas; (e) Level 5: SEM micrograph of daily
increments, the width is about 10 – 20 mm; and (f) digital camera graph of the asteriscus, diameter
is about 4 mm
158
Q. Feng
another.
Level 4: daily growth ring
Figure 6.8e shows the daily ring structure of asteriscus. The width of each
growth increment is about 10–20 mm. A daily ring comprises an increase belt and
interval belt, the increase belt is wide and bright, mainly composed of calcium
carbonate, and the interval belt is narrow and opaque, mainly composed of organic
matrices.
Level 5: the whole asteriscus
Different growth rings pile up in certain ways and form the whole asteriscus,
whose diameter is about 4 mm.
From the hierarchical structures of lapilli, sagittae, and asterisci, it can be seen
that each kind of otolith has its particular structure and morphology. Both materials
sciences and biology can benefit from this basic study which will be also relevant to
the fish ecology and environmental chemistry. The self-assembled structure of
natural biomaterials is always intimately associated with the versatile properties.
The orientation domain structure, which is found in the lapillus, is not unique in the
otolith. Feng and her group had found a domain structure in nacre of the Mytilus
edulis shell (Feng et al. 1999). Those domains consisted of 3–10 continuous flat
platelets perpendicular to the nacre plane. The aragonite crystals of the neighboring
domains had the same c-axes but different a-axes. The directions of the assembled
aragonite sticks of lapilli are more complicated than those of nacre platelets,
because the long axes of the sticks do not point to the same directions; furthermore,
the aragonite sticks, which are bundled of parallel fibrils, are not the basic units of
Fig. 6.8 The five hierarchical levels of organization of the carp asteriscus. (a) Level 1: the vaterite
nanocrystals observed by HRTEM and SEAD, (b) Level 2: SEM micrograph of vaterite crystal
sticks; (c) Level 3: SEM micrograph of vaterite crystal layers, the thickness of each layer is about
2 mm; (d) Level 4: SEM micrograph of domain areas; (e) Level 5: SEM micrograph of daily
increments, the width is about 10 – 20 mm; and (f) digital camera graph of the asteriscus, diameter
is about 4 mm
158
Q. Feng