Evaluation of remodeling and geometry on the biomechanical properties of nacreous bivalve shells
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Nature
Fecha
2022-01-13Referencia bibliográfica
Muñoz-Moya, E... [et al.]. Evaluation of remodeling and geometry on the biomechanical properties of nacreous bivalve shells. Sci Rep 12, 710 (2022). [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-04414-1]
Patrocinador
PIA ANILLOS ACT project of Chilean Council for Research and Technology (ANID -Ex CONICYT) 172037; Millennium Science Initiative Program ICN2019_015; Instituto de Salud Carlos III Spanish Government CGL2017-85118-P; Junta de Andalucia RNM363; DICYT from the Universidad de Santiago de Chile; ANID PfCHA/DOCTORADO BECAS CHILE/2019 CEL00011051Resumen
Mollusks have developed a broad diversity of shelled structures to protect against challenges imposed
by biological interactions(e.g., predation) and constraints (e.g., pCO2-induced ocean acidification and
wave-forces). Although the study of shell biomechanical properties with nacreous microstructure has
provided understanding about the role of shell integrity and functionality on mollusk performance
and survival, there are no studies, to our knowledge, that delve into the variability of these properties
during the mollusk ontogeny, between both shells of bivalves or across the shell length. In this
study, using as a model the intertidal mussel Perumytilus purpuratus to obtain, for the first time, the
mechanical properties of its shells with nacreous microstructure; we perform uniaxial compression
tests oriented in three orthogonal axes corresponding to the orthotropic directions of the shell
material behavior (thickness, longitudinal, and transversal). Thus, we evaluated whether the shell
material’s stress and strain strength and elastic modulus showed differences in mechanical behavior
in mussels of different sizes, between valves, and across the shell length. Our results showed that the
biomechanical properties of the material building the P. purpuratus shells are symmetrical in both
valves and homogeneous across the shell length. However, uniaxial compression tests performed
across the shell thickness showed that biomechanical performance depends on the shell size (aging);
and that mechanical properties such as the elastic modulus, maximum stress, and strain become
degraded during ontogeny. SEM observations evidenced that compression induced a tortuous fracture
with a delamination effect on the aragonite mineralogical structure of the shell. Findings suggest that
P. purpuratus may become vulnerable to durophagous predators and wave forces in older stages, with
implications in mussel beds ecology and biodiversity of intertidal habitats.