Statistical analysis of EBSD data confirms pronounced classical and non-classical pervasive crystallographic twinning in rotaliid foraminiferal calcite
Abstract We describe a quantitative statistical and geometric analysis of classical and non-classical modes of twinning in the calcite produced by biomineralization in the shell of the rotaliid foraminifer species Amphistegina lessonii. Foraminifera are responsible for about a quarter of the marine...
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2025-04-01
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| author | Wolfgang W. Schmahl X. Yin J. Lastam E. Griesshaber S. Hoerl E. Sturm A. Sancho Vaquer |
| author_facet | Wolfgang W. Schmahl X. Yin J. Lastam E. Griesshaber S. Hoerl E. Sturm A. Sancho Vaquer |
| author_sort | Wolfgang W. Schmahl |
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| description | Abstract We describe a quantitative statistical and geometric analysis of classical and non-classical modes of twinning in the calcite produced by biomineralization in the shell of the rotaliid foraminifer species Amphistegina lessonii. Foraminifera are responsible for about a quarter of the marine production of CaCO3 and thus play a major role in the natural CO2 sequestration into marine carbonate sediments. The shell calcite of rotaliid foraminifera is nano-twinned and thus quite distinct from inorganic calcite and from biogenic calcite produced by other groups of organisms. Previous work showed that foraminiferal calcite contains a high spatial density of twin walls of the classical 60°|<001> = m.{001} twin, but there was another peak in the range between 75° and 80° in the misorientation statistics of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) maps of the same specimen. We checked the significance of all maxima in misorientation by in-depth statistical analysis, thus confirmed the 60°|<001> penetration twinning and found that the 75°–80° maxima are related to new, non-classical, but systematically reoccurring oriented associations of calcite crystals with orientation relationships 78.2°|<991> and 76.6°|<6 −6 1>. If the nano-twinning provides an evolutionary advantage, it may increase the strength and toughness of the feeble mineralized chamber walls of the organisms. |
| format | Article |
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| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-46f2d3bba69444f8953b242bb5db23462025-08-20T01:47:34ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-04-0115111710.1038/s41598-025-92636-yStatistical analysis of EBSD data confirms pronounced classical and non-classical pervasive crystallographic twinning in rotaliid foraminiferal calciteWolfgang W. Schmahl0X. Yin1J. Lastam2E. Griesshaber3S. Hoerl4E. Sturm5A. Sancho Vaquer6Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig Maximilians Universität MünchenDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig Maximilians Universität MünchenDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig Maximilians Universität MünchenDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig Maximilians Universität MünchenDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig Maximilians Universität MünchenDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig Maximilians Universität MünchenDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig Maximilians Universität MünchenAbstract We describe a quantitative statistical and geometric analysis of classical and non-classical modes of twinning in the calcite produced by biomineralization in the shell of the rotaliid foraminifer species Amphistegina lessonii. Foraminifera are responsible for about a quarter of the marine production of CaCO3 and thus play a major role in the natural CO2 sequestration into marine carbonate sediments. The shell calcite of rotaliid foraminifera is nano-twinned and thus quite distinct from inorganic calcite and from biogenic calcite produced by other groups of organisms. Previous work showed that foraminiferal calcite contains a high spatial density of twin walls of the classical 60°|<001> = m.{001} twin, but there was another peak in the range between 75° and 80° in the misorientation statistics of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) maps of the same specimen. We checked the significance of all maxima in misorientation by in-depth statistical analysis, thus confirmed the 60°|<001> penetration twinning and found that the 75°–80° maxima are related to new, non-classical, but systematically reoccurring oriented associations of calcite crystals with orientation relationships 78.2°|<991> and 76.6°|<6 −6 1>. If the nano-twinning provides an evolutionary advantage, it may increase the strength and toughness of the feeble mineralized chamber walls of the organisms.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92636-yCalcite twinningEBSDForaminifersBiomineralizationAmphistegina |
| spellingShingle | Wolfgang W. Schmahl X. Yin J. Lastam E. Griesshaber S. Hoerl E. Sturm A. Sancho Vaquer Statistical analysis of EBSD data confirms pronounced classical and non-classical pervasive crystallographic twinning in rotaliid foraminiferal calcite Scientific Reports Calcite twinning EBSD Foraminifers Biomineralization Amphistegina |
| title | Statistical analysis of EBSD data confirms pronounced classical and non-classical pervasive crystallographic twinning in rotaliid foraminiferal calcite |
| title_full | Statistical analysis of EBSD data confirms pronounced classical and non-classical pervasive crystallographic twinning in rotaliid foraminiferal calcite |
| title_fullStr | Statistical analysis of EBSD data confirms pronounced classical and non-classical pervasive crystallographic twinning in rotaliid foraminiferal calcite |
| title_full_unstemmed | Statistical analysis of EBSD data confirms pronounced classical and non-classical pervasive crystallographic twinning in rotaliid foraminiferal calcite |
| title_short | Statistical analysis of EBSD data confirms pronounced classical and non-classical pervasive crystallographic twinning in rotaliid foraminiferal calcite |
| title_sort | statistical analysis of ebsd data confirms pronounced classical and non classical pervasive crystallographic twinning in rotaliid foraminiferal calcite |
| topic | Calcite twinning EBSD Foraminifers Biomineralization Amphistegina |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-92636-y |
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