Coral Skeletons: Interplay between Crystallographic Processes and Cellular, Physiological Mechanisms

Prof. Jarosław Stolarski (Institute of Paleobiology PAS, Warsaw).
Coral Skeletons: the Interplay between Crystallographic Processes and Cellular, Physiological Mechanisms.
One of the fundamental questions regarding the functioning of living organisms pertains to the extent to which their functions, tissue organization, and the formation of skeletal structures are influenced by physicochemical factors from the external environment, versus the extent to which they are controlled by the organism's internal environment, with a predominant influence of internal physiological regulation. This seminar will outline the aforementioned issues using corals as an example, given their role as builders of coral reefs and as inhabitants of the deepest oceanic depths. The macromorphology of coral skeletons is considered to be a highly sensitive recorder of environmental changes: corals forming colonies exhibit significant morphological plasticity in response to local variations in light availability, water flow dynamics affecting sedimentation, and the transport of food particles. Some of these aspects can be modeled in silico, and a few potentially interesting aspects will be presented as potential collaborative proposals. Until recently, the microscale organization of the skeleton was mainly viewed as an outcome of purely physicochemical crystallization of calcium carbonate. However, recent years have seen a complete shift in the paradigm of calcification mechanisms, which are now recognized as predominantly physiological processes.
‍Warsaw colloquium for theoretical physics at CTP PAS - 2024-05-15