鱼耳石是存在于硬骨鱼内耳中的功能性沉积体,主要由碳酸钙和有机质构成,是一种典型的天然生物矿物。鱼的内耳中共有微耳石、星耳石、矢耳石各1对。利用FTIR光谱和Raman光谱对实验室中养殖锦鲤的星耳石和微耳石进行了对比分析,结果表明微耳石的矿物相为文石,而星耳石的矿物相则为球文石,微耳石中纯文石和星耳石中纯球文石的各自独立存在为文石/球文石的矿化机理研究提供了十分优异的天然样品。分别将其与无机和生物成因的文石、球文石的Raman及FTIR图谱进行比较,发现微耳石的FTIR和Raman图谱特征介于无机成因文石和其他生物成因文石之间,而星耳石的FTIR和Raman图谱特征则与其他生物成因的球文石更为接近,这可能是由于有机物参与了生物矿化过程并起到了稳定介稳相的球文石的结果。
Otolith is a typical natural biomineral as functional deposit existing in teleost's ears, which is mainly composed of calcium carbonate and organic matter. There is a pair of lapillus, sagitta and asteriscus in fish's inner ear, respectively. The authors compare the asteriscus and lapillus in cultured ornamental carp using FTIR and Raman. The result shows that the mineral phase in lapillus is aragonite, while the mineral phase in asteriscus is vaterite. The pure aragonite and vaterite existing respectively in otolith are of importance as being used as sample to study aragonite/vaterite biomineralization mechanism. Compared with inorganic induced aragonite and vaterite using FTIR and Raman, the authors found that the spectra of aragonite in lapillus are between those of inorganic induced aragonite and other bio induced aragonite; while the spectra of vaterite in asteriscus are similar to those of other bio induced vaterite. It is possible that unstable vaterite was stabilized through the organic effects in biomineralization process.