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Potential seasonal calibration for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction using skeletal microstructures and strontium measurements from the cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa
Date Issued
2014-11
Date Available
2015-11-01T04:00:25Z
Abstract
Lophelia pertusa is a colonial cold-water coral species with a wide spatial distribution in recent marine waters. Analysing the chemistry of its skeleton allows reconstruction of environmental parameter variations. While numerous studies have attempted to interpret such analyses, little information is available on the microstructures of Lophelia pertusa and their temporal constraints. This study introduces newly recognized microstructures in the coral wall following growth along the radial axis. The thicknesses of these ‘micro-layers’ are correlated with strontium concentrations and can be used to estimate seasonal growth rates of single polyps from the colony. We propose that each of these micro-layers represents a period of 1 month of mineralization and can locate two decreasing periods in growth rate during a year: one caused by limited food availability during winter months and one in autumn linked to gametogenesis. High-frequency study of strontium concentrations using this interpretation shows a lunar cycle. We demonstrate that while the micro-layers are present in all L. pertusa specimens from four locations in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, growth patterns reveal a complex organization that limits their visibility. Strontium fluctuations, however, appear to be a promising mechanism by which to establish a temporal calibration.
Sponsorship
European Commission - European Regional Development Fund
European Commission - Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)
Other Sponsorship
Programme for Research in Third-Level Institutions Cycle-5
Type of Material
Journal Article
Publisher
Wiley
Journal
Journal of Quaternary Science
Volume
29
Issue
8
Start Page
803
End Page
814
Copyright (Published Version)
2014 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.
Language
English
Status of Item
Peer reviewed
This item is made available under a Creative Commons License
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Name
Mouchi_et_al.,_2014.pdf
Size
3.37 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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