Biomineralization in Fossil Record
A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2020) | Viewed by 2981
Special Issue Editor
Interests: skeletal micro- and ultrastructures; evolution of mineral composition; biomineralization in serpulids; biomineralization in problematic fossils; aragonite versus calcite seas; ocean acidification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Mechanical and chemical properties of mineral skeletons form bases of evolutionary success in many organisms. Microstructures and ultrastructures of mineral skeletons play an important role in the evolution of organisms. These micro- and ultrastructures are very diverse and have an evolutionary history of over half a billion years. In many groups, the micro- and ultrastructures of mineral skeletons are poorly known. The SEM study of fossils is essential for understanding the micro- and ultrastructural evolution of mineral skeletons. The crystallography (EBSD) of fossil skeletons is an emerging field of biomineralization studies. The mineral composition of the skeleton often determines its preservation potential as fossil. The mineralogical evolution of many organisms has not been investigated at all or is poorly understood. The best way to study the mineralogical evolution of organisms is to study their fossils throughout the geological time. It is interesting that some aquatic invertebrates are primitively calcitic, while others are primitively aragonitic. How might this affect them differently at calcite to aragonite vs. aragonite to calcite sea switchovers? In addition to aragonite versus calcite seas, past and current ocean acidification may have affected biomineralization in marine organisms. The biomineralization of terrestrial organisms also needs further studies in the context of evolution of their skeletons.
Dr. Olev Vinn
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- skeletal micro- and ultrastructures
- crystal lattice
- crystallography
- evolution of mineral structures
- mechanical properties of mineral skeletons
- mineralogical composition
- mineralogical evolution
- chemical properties of mineral skeletons
- aragonite and calcite seas
