Scholarlink

<p>Corals form their reef-building aragonite (CaCO<sub>3</sub>) skeletons via transient precursor phases yet understanding of the dynamics of these early-stage transformations remains incomplete. Using time-independent myriad mapping&#xa0;(MM) at 50 nm resolution, we map five mineral phases near the skeleton surface of <i>Stylophora pistillata</i> corals grown in varying seawater pH. All precursors, crystalline and amorphous, exhibit a consistent exponential decay from the growth front, with a shared decay length of 0.7 ± 0.1 μm, independent of time, phase, or pH. This spatial decay, paired with the constant growth rate of the skeleton, reveals a decay time of 5.1 ± 0.5 minutes. The dominant precursor is not amorphous but crystalline: calcium carbonate hemihydrate (CCHH, CaCO₃·½H₂O). These results suggest that exponential crystallization kinetics govern coral biomineralization and may be a widespread feature in biogenic, geologic, and synthetic systems—traceable long after initial mineral deposition.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Exponential crystallization in corals

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月17日

查看全文
  • Zoë Rechav,
  • Eric Tambutté,
  • Isabelle M. LeCloux,
  • Samantha Anglemyer,
  • Natalie E. Beltz,
  • Nicolas A. Chou,
  • Brynne E. Dixson-Kruijf,
  • Johannes Domagk,
  • Anders M. Larson,
  • Sylvia W. Lewis,
  • Rhita Rich,
  • Lateef O. Saheed,
  • James L. Schwenk,
  • Jaden S. Sengkhammee,
  • Christian A. Waltenberg,
  • Jianfeng Ye,
  • Barat Q. Achinuq,
  • Alexander A. Venn,
  • Sylvie Tambutté,
  • Pupa U. P. A. Gilbert

摘要

Corals form their reef-building aragonite (CaCO3) skeletons via transient precursor phases yet understanding of the dynamics of these early-stage transformations remains incomplete. Using time-independent myriad mapping (MM) at 50 nm resolution, we map five mineral phases near the skeleton surface of Stylophora pistillata corals grown in varying seawater pH. All precursors, crystalline and amorphous, exhibit a consistent exponential decay from the growth front, with a shared decay length of 0.7 ± 0.1 μm, independent of time, phase, or pH. This spatial decay, paired with the constant growth rate of the skeleton, reveals a decay time of 5.1 ± 0.5 minutes. The dominant precursor is not amorphous but crystalline: calcium carbonate hemihydrate (CCHH, CaCO₃·½H₂O). These results suggest that exponential crystallization kinetics govern coral biomineralization and may be a widespread feature in biogenic, geologic, and synthetic systems—traceable long after initial mineral deposition.