Enamel-like apatite crown covering amorphous mineral in a crayfish mandible

Shmuel Bentov, Paul Zaslansky, Ali Al-Sawalmih, Admir Masic, Peter Fratzl, Amir Sagi, Amir Berman () and Barbara Aichmayer ()
Additional contact information
Shmuel Bentov: Ben-Gurion University
Paul Zaslansky: Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Research Campus Golm
Ali Al-Sawalmih: Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Research Campus Golm
Admir Masic: Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Research Campus Golm
Peter Fratzl: Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Research Campus Golm
Amir Sagi: Ben-Gurion University
Amir Berman: Ben-Gurion University
Barbara Aichmayer: Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Research Campus Golm

Nature Communications, 2012, vol. 3, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Carbonated hydroxyapatite is the mineral found in vertebrate bones and teeth, whereas invertebrates utilize calcium carbonate in their mineralized organs. In particular, stable amorphous calcium carbonate is found in many crustaceans. Here we report on an unusual, crystalline enamel-like apatite layer found in the mandibles of the arthropod Cherax quadricarinatus (freshwater crayfish). Despite their very different thermodynamic stabilities, amorphous calcium carbonate, amorphous calcium phosphate, calcite and fluorapatite coexist in well-defined functional layers in close proximity within the mandible. The softer amorphous minerals are found primarily in the bulk of the mandible whereas apatite, the harder and less soluble mineral, forms a wear-resistant, enamel-like coating of the molar tooth. Our findings suggest a unique case of convergent evolution, where similar functional challenges of mastication led to independent developments of structurally and mechanically similar, apatite-based layers in the teeth of genetically remote phyla: vertebrates and crustaceans.

Date: 2012
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms1839 Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:3:y:2012:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms1839

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1839

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().