The mechanisms of larval calcification in the mussel, Mytilus edulis

The mollusc shell is a composite biomineral consisting of calcium carbonate and an associated organic matrix. Biomineralisation in molluscs begins during early ontogenetic development, where larval calcification is characterized by rapid rates of mineral deposition. Despite these rapid rates of early calcification, no information exists on the mechanistic basis of larval shell formation. In this thesis, I use polarized light microscopy, in vivo confocal Raman microscopy as well as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to investigate the composition of the first larval shell (Prodissoconch I, PD I) in Mytilus edulis larva