Integrated information on the structure and composition of the ostrich eggshell (Struthio camelus)
Résumé
Ostrich eggshells are excellent examples of avian biomineralization. Interest in these eggshells is focused on their potential as food source, example of a biomaterial for medical and industrial applications, and the use of fossil remains for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. Because this interest, there is some information about aspects of eggshell biomineralization, but scattered in different publications and limited in scope about mineralogy-crystallography and/or composition. Here, we reexamine the biomineralization of the Struthio eggshells focusing on the structure, from macro-to nanoscales, crystallography, and composition of mineral and organic phases. Our results show that there is a very tight biomineralization control, from well-defined structures at nanoscale to precise crystallographic orientation of calcite crystals, in the formation of biomineral that is unparalleled in other avian eggshells. Overall, this finding would explain the thickness and excellent mechanical properties of ostrich eggshells.
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