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Sturgeon and paddlefish (Acipenseridae) sagittal otoliths are composed of the calcium carbonate polymorphs vaterite and calcite

Publication Type
Journal
Journal Name
Journal of Fish Biology
Publication Date

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.