Abnormal melanization and microstructural distortions of the shell of great scallop living in shallow water |
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| Authors: | H Larvor J P Cuif N Devauchelle |
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| Institution: | (1) IFREMER, DRV/A, BP 70, 29280 Plouzané, France;(2) Université de Paris XI, Laboratoire de Paléontologie, BAT 504, F-91405 Orsay Cédex, France |
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| Abstract: | Modifications of great scallop (Pecten moximus) shells have been noticed in many sites of scallop fisheries in Brittany, especially in shallow waters. These calcification abnormalities are linked to the appearance of a brown colouration of the internal calcified shell layer, due to the presence of a eumelanin associated with the insoluble organic matrix of the biocrystals. The appearance of this pigment generates many disturbances of the calcified foliated microstructure of the scallop internal shell layer. The mantle structure is not modified in brown shells as compared with white ones. No pathogenic signs such as hyperplasia or haemocytic infiltration have been observed. According to this observation, we hypothesize that the brown colour phenomenon is more a result of environmental disturbance rather than a symptom of a pathogenic disease.The colour abnormalities of the internal shell layer can be detected by a spectral analysis of its reflectance before it can be detected with the naked eye. This method, correlated to microstructural observations, gives a rapid and precise analysis of the appearance of the pigmentation on adult or juvenile scallops. It may be a useful method for the evaluation of the influence of environmental parameters, for example, on calcification and its abnormalities. |
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| Keywords: | Calcification Environmental disturbances Eumelanin Great scallop (Pecten maximus) Shell colour microstructure and melanization |
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