title: Sturgeon and paddlefish (Acipenseridae) sagittal otoliths are composed of the calcium carbonate polymorphs vaterite and calcite.
abstract: This study sought to resolve whether sturgeon (Acipenseridae) sagittae (otoliths) contain a non-vaterite fraction and to quantify how large a non-vaterite fraction is using neutron diffraction analysis. This study found that all otoliths examined had a calcite fraction that ranged from 18 ± 6 to 36 ± 3% by mass. This calcite fraction is most probably due to biological variation during otolith formation rather than an artefact of polymorph transformation during preparation.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, U.S.A.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Pracheil
authors.affiliation: Quantum Condensed Matter Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, U.S.A.
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Chakoumakos
authors.affiliation: Chemical and Engineering Materials Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, U.S.A.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feygenson
authors.affiliation: Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, U.S.A.
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Whitledge
authors.affiliation: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Oshkosh, WI 54903, U.S.A.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Koenigs
authors.affiliation: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Oshkosh, WI 54903, U.S.A.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Bruch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000032:analysis*; D005399:Fishes; D033363:Neutron Diffraction; D010037:Otolithic Membrane / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D002119:Calcium Carbonate
keywords: Acipenser fulvescens