Abstract
The shell composition of 5 species of barnacles [Balanus balanoides (L.), B. crenatus Bruguière, B. hameri Ascanius, Elminius modestus Darwin and Chthamalus stellatus (Poli)] collected from four different sites on the coast of North Wales and one site in the Irish Sea were studied using chemical, X-ray diffraction and electron-microprobe analyses. All the shells consisted of calcite. The trace substances studied were Mg, Sr, Na, Mn, PO4, and SO4. Other trace elements detected included Si, Li, Ba, Zn, Cl, and Al. For each species, Mn was the only element in the shell which varied significantly from one locality to another. Variation of concentration of Mn in the shells may be related to the variations of the concentration of Mn in the water, since concentrations in the shells were highest in (estuarine) waters containing high concentrations of Mn. In Balanus balanoides L. and Elminius modestus Darwin, the Mn:Ca and Mg:Ca ratios decreased with decreasing shore level and Sr:Ca varied in the opposite direction. When B. crenatus Bruguière, a subtidal and lower littoral species, and B. hameri Ascanius, a Continental-Shelf species, were compared with the intertidal, species B. balanoides and E. modestus, the Mn:Ca and Mg:Ca ratios followed the same decreasing trend, and the Sr:Ca ratios the same increasing trend with increasing depth. These variations may be related either to increased growth rate of the shells of each species or maxium temperature to which the species is exposed, or both. The differences between species are more consistently reflected, in the concentration of Mn. However, since the concentration, of Mn is correlated with the amount of organic matter in the shell, the specific variations may reflect only the variations in the amount of organic material in the shell of each species.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Literature Cited
Barnes, H.: Corrosion and shell composition in barnacles. Nature. Lond. 177, 177–190 (1956)
— and H.T. Powell: The grwoth of Balanus balanoides (L.) and B. crenatus under varying conditions of submersion. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 32, 107–128 (1953)
Chave, K.E.: Aspects of the biogeochemistry of magnesium. I. Calcareous marine organisms. J. Geol. 620, 266–283 (1954)
Clarke, F.W. and W.C. Wheeler: The inorganic constituents of marine invertebrates. Prof. Pap. U.S. geol. Surv. 124, 1–62 (1922)
Crisp, D.J.: Factors influencing growth-rate in Balanus balanoides. J. Anim. Ecol. 29, 95–116 (1960)
Dodd, J.R.: Environmental control of strontium and magnesium in Mytilus. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 19, 385–398 (1965)
—: Magnesium and strontium in calcareous skeletons: a review. J. Paleont. 41, 1313–1329 (1967)
Elderfield, H., L. Thornton and J.S. Webb: Heavy metals and oyster culture in Wales. Mar. Pollut. Bull. (N.S.) 2, 44–48 (1971)
Goldberg, E.D.: The biogeochemistry of trace metals. In: Treatise on marine ecology and paleoecology. Vol. 1. Ecology, pp 345–358. Ed. by J.W. Hedgpeth. New York: Geological Society of America 1957
Gordon, C.M., R.A. Carr and R.E. Larson: The influence of environmental factors on the sodium and manganese content of barnacle shells. Limnol. Oceanogr. 15, 461–466 (1970)
Hallam, A. and N.B. Price: Environmental and biochemical control of strontium in shells of Cardium edule. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 32, 319–328 (1968)
Jones, R.E.: Some aspects of the geochemistry of the Conway Estuary. Unpublished M.Sc. Thesis, University of Wales 1972
Lowenstam, H.A.: Coexisting calcites and aragonites from skeletal carbonates of marine organisms and their strontium and magnesium contents. In: Recent researches in the fields of hydrosphere, atmosphere and nuclear geochemistry, pp 373–404. Ed. by Y. Miyake and T. Koyama. Tokyo: Maruzen Company Ltd. 1964
Meigen, W.: Beiträge zur Kenntnis des Kohlensäurenkalks. Ber. naturf. Ges. Freiburg i. B. 13, 1–55 (1903)
Mitchell, R.L.: The spectrochemical analysis of soils, plants and related materials. Tech. Commun. Commonw. Bur. Soils 44a, 1–225 (1964)
Moberly, R. Jr.: Composition of magnesian calcites of algae and pelecypods by electron microprobe analysis. Sedimentology 11, 61–82 (1968)
Murphy, J. and J.P. Riley: A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural waters. Analytica chim. Acta 27, 31–36 (1962)
Odum, H.T.: Biogeochemical deposition of strontium. Publs Inst. mar. Sci. Univ. Tex. 4, 38–114 (1957)
Pilkey, O.H. and H.G. Goodell: Trace elements in recent mollusk shells. Limnol. Oceanogr. 8, 137–148 (1963)
— and R.C. Harris: The effect of intertidal environment on the composition of calcareous skeletal material. Limnol. Oceanogr. 11, 381–385 (1966)
Price, N.B. and A. Hallam: Variation of strontium content within shell of recent Nautilus and Sepia. Nature, Lond. 215, 1272–1274 (1967)
Scott, N.M.: Studies on the sulphur relationships of selected Scottish soils. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, Aberdeen University 1967
Swan, E.F.: The meaning of strontium-calcium ratios. Deep Sea Res. 4, p. 71 (1956)
Thompson T.G. and J. Chow: The strontium-calcium atom ratio in the carbonate-secreting marine organisms. Deep Sea Res. 3 (Suppl.), 20–39 (1955)
Turekian, R.R.: The oceans, streams, and atmosphere. In: Handbook of geochemistry. Vol. 1. pp 297–323. Ed. by K.H. Wedepohl. Berlin: Springer-Verlag 1969
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by J.H.S. Blaxter, Oban
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bourget, F. Environmental and structural control of trace elements in barnacle shells. Marine Biology 28, 27–36 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00389114
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00389114