Sclerites of the soft coral Ovabunda macrospiculata (Xeniidae) are predominantly the metastable CaCO₃ polymorph vaterite.

ABSTRACT: Soft corals (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Octocorallia, Alcyonacea) produce internal sclerites of calcium carbonate previously shown to be composed of calcite, the most stable calcium carbonate polymorph. Here we apply multiple imaging and physical chemistry analyses to extracted and in-vivo sclerites of the abundant Red Sea soft coral, Ovabunda macrospiculata, to detail their mineralogy. We show that this species' sclerites are comprised predominantly of the less stable calcium carbonate polymorph vaterite (> 95%), with much smaller components of aragonite and calcite. Use of this mineral, which is typically considered to be metastable, by these soft corals has implications for how it is formed as well as how it will persist during the anticipated anthropogenic climate change in the coming decades

SUBMITTER: Drake JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7611992 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature