X-ray diffraction, XAFS and scanning electron microscopy study of otolith of a crevalle jack fish (caranx hippos)

The otolith of a crevalle jack fish (caranx hippos) has been investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The results suggest that the biomineralization of otolith occurs predominantly in the aragonite phase. A detailed X-ray Rietveld analysis showed that the first shell Ca-O distances in otolith lay in the range 2.371-2.652 Å, with each calcium atom coordinated to 9 oxygen atoms. While the average Ca-O distance remains same in both otolith and aragonite, certain Ca-O distances in otolith differ markedly from those in aragonite. Such difference reflects the remarkable degree of control that the protein matrix exercised over packing of calcium and carbonate ions to promote growth of rarer aragonite otolith. In view of the complex coordination chemistry of calcium in otoliths, the EXAFS analysis was limited to obtaining local atomic environment about calcium up to the first Ca-O shell. EXAFS data showed an asymmetric distribution of Ca-O bond distances with the centroid of distribution at 2.48 Å, which is closer to the average Ca-O distance in aragonite than in calcite. The asymmetry in the Ca-O peak is consistent with an apparent departure of Ca-O distances from a near regular distribution, as expected of an aragonite otolith.