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Comparative crystallography of vertebrate otoconia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

Elmer A. Rosauer  and
James R. Redmond
Elmer A. Rosauer*
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Iowa State university, Ames, Iowa 50011.
James R. Redmond
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, Iowa State university, Ames, Iowa 50011.
*
Professor Elmer A. Rosauer, Materials Science and Engineering Department, Iowa State University, 110 Engineering Annex, Ames, Iowa 50011, U.S.A.
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Abstract

Otoconial material was obtained from a number of vertebrates to determine the CaC03 polymorph present. Otoconia and otoliths from bony fish, amphibians, and reptiles are primarily aragonitic; those from birds and mammals are calcitic. This paper summarizes data from all other investigators as well as presenting new data, particularly pertaining to reptiles. The significance, if any, of the relationship between taxonomic group and carbonate polymorph remains an intriguing question.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 99 , Issue 1 , January 1985 , pp. 21 - 28
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1985

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