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Jessop AL, Millsteed AJ, Kirkensgaard JJK, Shaw J, Clode PL, Schröder-Turk GE. Composite material in the sea urchin Cidaris rugosa: ordered and disordered micrometre-scale bicontinuous geometries. J R Soc Interface 2024; 21:20230597. [PMID: 38471532 PMCID: PMC10932713 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2023.0597] [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: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The sponge-like biomineralized calcite materials found in echinoderm skeletons are of interest in terms of both structure formation and biological function. Despite their crystalline atomic structure, they exhibit curved interfaces that have been related to known triply periodic minimal surfaces. Here, we investigate the endoskeleton of the sea urchin Cidaris rugosa that has long been known to form a microstructure related to the Primitive surface. Using X-ray tomography, we find that the endoskeleton is organized as a composite material consisting of domains of bicontinuous microstructures with different structural properties. We describe, for the first time, the co-occurrence of ordered single Primitive and single Diamond structures and of a disordered structure within a single skeletal plate. We show that these structures can be distinguished by structural properties including solid volume fraction, trabeculae width and, to a lesser extent, interface area and mean curvature. In doing so, we present a robust method that extracts interface areas and curvature integrals from voxelized datasets using the Steiner polynomial for parallel body volumes. We discuss these very large-scale bicontinuous structures in the context of their function, formation and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Lee Jessop
- School of Mathematics, Statistics, Chemistry and Physics, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia
| | - Allan J. Millsteed
- School of Mathematics, Statistics, Chemistry and Physics, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia
| | - Jacob J. K. Kirkensgaard
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Kobenhavn, Denmark
- Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Kobenhavn, Denmark
| | - Jeremy Shaw
- Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation, and Analysis, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Peta L. Clode
- Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation, and Analysis, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Gerd E. Schröder-Turk
- School of Mathematics, Statistics, Chemistry and Physics, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia
- Research School of Physics, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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Linnemann SK, Friedrichs L, Niebuhr NM. Stress-Adaptive Stiffening Structures Inspired by Diatoms: A Parametric Solution for Lightweight Surfaces. Biomimetics (Basel) 2024; 9:46. [PMID: 38248620 PMCID: PMC10813791 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics9010046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The intricate and highly complex morphologies of diatom frustules have long captured the attention of biomimetic researchers, initiating innovation in engineering solutions. This study investigates the potential of diatom-inspired surface stiffeners to determine whether the introduced innovative strategy is a viable alternative for addressing engineering challenges demanding enhanced stiffness. This interdisciplinary study focuses on the computer-aided generation of stress-adaptive lightweight structures aimed at optimizing bending stiffness. Through a comprehensive microscopical analysis, morphological characteristics of diatom frustules were identified and abstracted to be applied to a reference model using computer-aided methods and simulated to analyze their mechanical behavior under load-bearing conditions. Afterwards, the models are compared against a conventional engineering approach. The most promising biomimetic approach is successfully automated, extending its applicability to non-planar surfaces and diverse boundary conditions. It yields notable improvement in bending stiffness, which manifests in a decrease of displacement by approximately 93% in comparison to the reference model with an equivalent total mass. Nonetheless, for the specific load case considered, the engineering approach yields the least displacement. Although certain applications may favor conventional methods, the presented approach holds promise for scenarios subjected to varying stresses, necessitating lightweight and robust solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nils M. Niebuhr
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany; (S.K.L.)
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Gorzelak P, Kołbuk D, Stolarski J, Bącal P, Januszewicz B, Duda P, Środek D, Brachaniec T, Salamon MA. A Devonian crinoid with a diamond microlattice. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230092. [PMID: 36987636 PMCID: PMC10050926 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0092] [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: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Owing to their remarkable physical properties, cellular structures, such as triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS), have multidisciplinary and multifunctional applications. Although these structures are observed in nature, examples of TPMS with large length scales in living organisms are exceedingly rare. Recently, microstructure reminiscent of the diamond-type TPMS was documented in the skeleton of the modern knobby starfish Protoreaster nodosus. Here we report a similar microlattice in a 385 Myr old crinoid Haplocrinites, which pushes back the origins of this highly ordered microstructure in echinoderms into the Devonian. Despite the low Mg2+/Ca2+ ratio of the 'calcite' Devonian sea, the skeleton of these crinoids has high-Mg content, which indicates strong biological control over biomineralogy. We suggest that such an optimization of trabecular arrangement additionally enriched in magnesium, which enhances the mechanical properties, might have evolved in these crinoids in response to increased predation pressure during the Middle Palaeozoic Marine Revolution. This discovery illustrates the remarkable ability of echinoderms, through the process of evolutionary optimization, to form a lightweight, stiff and damage-tolerant skeleton, which serves as an inspiration for biomimetic materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Przemysław Gorzelak
- Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, Warszawa 00-818, Poland
| | - Dorota Kołbuk
- UCD Earth Institute and School of Biology and Environmental Science, Science Centre West, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Jarosław Stolarski
- Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, Warszawa 00-818, Poland
| | - Paweł Bącal
- Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, Warszawa 00-818, Poland
| | - Bartłomiej Januszewicz
- Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Lodz University of Technology, Stefanowskiego 1/15, 90-537 Łódź, Poland
| | - Piotr Duda
- Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Silesia in Katowice, Sosnowiec 41-205, Poland
| | - Dorota Środek
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Sosnowiec 41-200, Poland
| | - Tomasz Brachaniec
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Sosnowiec 41-200, Poland
| | - Mariusz A. Salamon
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Sosnowiec 41-200, Poland
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Perricone V, Cesarano P, Mancosu A, Asnicar D, Bravi S, Marmo F. Echinoid skeleton: an insight on the species-specific pattern of the Paracentrotus lividus plate and its microstructural variability. J R Soc Interface 2023; 20:20220673. [PMID: 36722170 PMCID: PMC9890320 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The skeletal plates of echinoids consist of a peculiar lightweight structure, called stereom, which is organized in a porous three-dimensional lattice-like meshwork. The stereom is characterized by an extremely complex and diverse microarchitecture, largely varying not only from species to species but also among different test plates. It consists of different basic types combined in extremely different ways according to specific functional needs, creating species-specific structural patterns. These patterns can lead to specific mechanical behaviours, which can inspire biomimetic technology and design development. In this framework, the present study aimed to characterize the species-specific pattern of the Paracentrotus lividus interambulacral plate and the main microstructural features regarding its geometrical variability and mechanical responses. The results achieved quantitatively highlighted the differences between the analysed stereom types providing new insights regarding their topological configuration and isotropic and anisotropic behaviour. Interestingly, data also revealed that the galleried stereom present at the tubercle is significantly different from the one located at the suture. These analyses and findings are encouraging and provide a starting point for future research to unravel the wide range of mechanical strategies evolved in the echinoid skeletal structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Perricone
- Department of Engineering, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via Roma 29, 81031 Aversa, Italy
- Department of Research Infrastructures for Marine Biological Resources, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Pasquale Cesarano
- Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture, University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea Mancosu
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cittadella Universitaria di Monserrato, 09042 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Davide Asnicar
- Aquatic Bioscience, Huntsman Marine Science Centre, 1 Lower Campus Road, St Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada E5B 2L7
| | - Sergio Bravi
- Department of Earth Science, Environment and Resources, University of Naples Federico II, Via Vicinale Cupa Cintia 26, 80126 Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Marmo
- Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture, University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy
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