洞穴沉积相关An Overview of Biomineralization Processes and the Problem of the Vital Effect.pdf
1AnOverviewofBiomineralizationProcesses
1
andtheProblemoftheVitalEffect
SteveWeiner
DepartmentofStructuralBiology
WeizmannInstituteofScience
76100RehovotIsrael
PatriciaM.Dove
DepartmentofGeoSciences
VirginiaTech
Blacksburg,Virginia24061U.S.A.
“Biomineralizationlinkssoftorganictissues,whicharecompositionallyakintotheatmosphere
andoceans,withthehardmaterialsofthesolidEarth.Itprovidesorganismswithskeletons
andshellswhiletheyarealive,andwhentheydiethesearedepositedassedimentin
environmentsfromriverplainstothedeepoceanfloor.Itisalsothesehard,resistantproducts
oflifewhicharemainlyresponsiblefortheEarth’sfossilrecord.Consequently,
biomineralizationinvolvesbiologists,chemists,andgeologistsininterdisciplinarystudiesat
oneoftheinterfacesbetweenEarthandlife.”
(LeadbeaterandRiding1986)
INTRODUCTION
Biomineralizationreferstotheprocessesbywhichorganismsformminerals.The
controlexertedbymanyorganismsovermineralformationdistinguishestheseprocesses
fromabioticmineralization.Thelatterwastheprimaryfocusofearthscientistsoverthe
lastcentury,buttheemergenceofbiogeochemistryandtheurgencyofunderstandingthe
pastandfutureevolutionoftheEartharemovingbiologicalmineralizationtothe
forefron