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Krings W, Gorb SN, Neumann C, Wägele H. Radular Tooth Coating in Members of Dendronotidae and Flabellinidae (Nudibranchia, Gastropoda, Mollusca). J Morphol 2024; 285:e21773. [PMID: 39252400 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2024] [Revised: 08/18/2024] [Accepted: 08/23/2024] [Indexed: 09/11/2024]
Abstract
Nudibranchs, with their mesmerizing diversity and ecological significance, play crucial roles in marine ecosystems. Central to their feeding prowess is the radula, a chitinous structure with diverse morphologies adapted to prey preferences and feeding strategies. This study focuses on elucidating wear coping mechanisms in radular teeth of carnivorous molluscs, employing Dendronotus lacteus (Dendronotidae) and Flabellina affinis (Flabellinidae) as model species. Both species forage on hydrozoans. Through scanning electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, nanoindentation, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, the biomechanical and compositional properties of their teeth were analyzed. Notably, tooth coatings, composed of calcium (Ca) or silicon (Si) and high hardness and stiffness compared to the internal tooth structure, with varying mineral contents across tooth regions and ontogenetic zones, were found. The presence of the hard and stiff tooth coatings highlight their role in enhancing wear resistance. The heterogeneities in the autofluorescence patterns related to the distribution of Ca and Si of the coatings. Overall, this study provides into the biomechanical adaptations of nudibranch radular teeth, shedding light on the intricate interplay between tooth structure, elemental composition, and ecological function in marine molluscs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wencke Krings
- Department of Cariology, Endodontology and Periodontology, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Electron Microscopy, Institute of Cell and Systems Biology of Animals, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Mammalogy and Palaeoanthropology, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Stanislav N Gorb
- Department of Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Charlotte Neumann
- Department of Cariology, Endodontology and Periodontology, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Electron Microscopy, Institute of Cell and Systems Biology of Animals, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Mammalogy and Palaeoanthropology, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Heike Wägele
- Department of Phylogenetics and Evolutionary Biology, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Bonn, Germany
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The ontogeny of elements: distinct ontogenetic patterns in the radular tooth mineralization of gastropods. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2022; 109:58. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-022-01829-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Abstract The molluscan phylum is characterized by the radula, used for the gathering and processing of food. This structure can consist of a chitinous membrane with embedded rows of teeth, which show structural, chemical, and biomechanical adaptations to the preferred ingesta. With regard to the chemical composition of teeth, some taxa (Polyplacophora and Patellogastropoda) were extensively studied, and high proportions of incorporated iron, calcium, and silicon were previously reported. However, outside these two groups, there is an immense lack of knowledge about the elemental composition of radular teeth. The here presented work aims at shedding some light on the radular composition by performing energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) on six non-patelliform gastropod species (Anentome helena, Cornu aspersum, Lavigeria nassa, Littorina littorea, Reymondia horei, and Vittina turrita), with the focus on the ontogeny of the elemental composition. Proportions of elements, which are not part of chitin and other purely organic molecules, were documented for overall 1027 individual teeth of all ontogenetic radular stages, i.e., for the building zone, the maturation zone, and the working zone. We detected that the proportions of these elements increased from the building to the maturation zone. However, from the maturation to the working zone, two general trends are visible: either the proportions of the elements increased or decreased. The latter trend could potentially be explained by the acidic pH of the gastropod saliva, which awaits further investigations.
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Wägele H, Knezevic K, Moustafa AY. Defensive acid-secreting glands in Cypraeoidea (Caenogastropoda, Mollusca). MOLLUSCAN RESEARCH 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/13235818.2022.2124581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Heike Wägele
- Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Museum Alexander Koenig Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Kristina Knezevic
- Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Museum Alexander Koenig Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Alaa Y. Moustafa
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt
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Wan C, Ma Y, Gorb SN. Compromise between mechanical and chemical protection mechanisms in the Mytilus edulis shell. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:jeb.201103. [PMID: 31315934 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.201103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The shell of Mytilus edulis is a multilayered system for protecting this bivalve. In contrast to well-developed research on the nacre materials, the protective function of the complete M. edulis shell has not been widely studied. In particular, the question of why nacre is situated on the inner side of the shell rather than on the outer side remains unclear. Herein, the acid resistance of different shell layers was compared using etching tests and the mechanical protection performance of the shell was tested using three-point bending. Two bending loads, including static and dynamic, were applied on the shell samples from outside in (i.e. out-in bending) and from inside out (i.e. in-out bending), respectively. Our etching results show that the external prismatic calcite endows M. edulis with stronger acid resistance than if nacre was on the outside. In contrast, the static out-in and in-out bending tests reveal that a better mechanical protection of the shell against slow mechanical attacks is achieved if the nacre is on the outside. However, the shell has the same mechanical properties against dynamic mechanical attacks regardless of nacre location. Briefly, the nacre should be on the outside of the shell for better mechanical protection while the outside location of the prismatic layer offers a stronger resistance against etching. The inside natural location of nacre is a compromise between mechanical and chemical protection mechanisms against a complex survival environment. This strongly contributes to our understanding of biological design principles and further development of shell-inspired protective materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Wan
- Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute, Kiel University, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Yun Ma
- Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute, Kiel University, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Stanislav N Gorb
- Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute, Kiel University, 24118 Kiel, Germany
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Bose U, Wang T, Zhao M, Motti CA, Hall MR, Cummins SF. Multiomics analysis of the giant triton snail salivary gland, a crown-of-thorns starfish predator. Sci Rep 2017; 7:6000. [PMID: 28729681 PMCID: PMC5519703 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05974-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The giant triton snail (Charonia tritonis) is one of the few natural predators of the adult Crown-of-Thorns starfish (COTS), a corallivore that has been damaging to many reefs in the Indo-Pacific. Charonia species have large salivary glands (SGs) that are suspected to produce either a venom and/or sulphuric acid which can immobilize their prey and neutralize the intrinsic toxic properties of COTS. To date, there is little information on the types of toxins produced by tritons. In this paper, the predatory behaviour of the C. tritonis is described. Then, the C. tritonis SG, which itself is made up of an anterior lobe (AL) and posterior lobe (PL), was analyzed using an integrated transcriptomics and proteomics approach, to identify putative toxin- and feeding-related proteins. A de novo transcriptome database and in silico protein analysis predicts that ~3800 proteins have features consistent with being secreted. A gland-specific proteomics analysis confirmed the presence of numerous SG-AL and SG-PL proteins, including those with similarity to cysteine-rich venom proteins. Sulfuric acid biosynthesis enzymes were identified, specific to the SG-PL. Our analysis of the C. tritonis SG (AL and PL) has provided a deeper insight into the biomolecular toolkit used for predation and feeding by C. tritonis.
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Affiliation(s)
- U Bose
- Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, Genecology Research Center, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558, Australia
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, 4810, Australia
| | - T Wang
- Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, Genecology Research Center, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558, Australia
| | - M Zhao
- Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, Genecology Research Center, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558, Australia
| | - C A Motti
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, 4810, Australia
| | - M R Hall
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Queensland, 4810, Australia
| | - S F Cummins
- Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, Genecology Research Center, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558, Australia.
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Barkalova VO, Fedosov AE, Kantor YI. Morphology of the anterior digestive system of tonnoideans (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda) with an emphasis on the foregut glands. MOLLUSCAN RESEARCH 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/13235818.2015.1082954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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