Alberts Erik M, Taylor Stephen D, Edwards Stephanie L, Sherman Debra M, Huang Chia-Ping, Kenny Paul, Wilker Jonathan J
†Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2084, United States.
‡Life Science Microscopy Facility, Purdue University, 170 South University Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2015 Apr 29;7(16):8533-8. doi: 10.1021/acsami.5b00287. Epub 2015 Apr 20.
Oysters have an impressive ability to overcome difficulties of life within the stressful intertidal zone. These shellfish produce an adhesive for attaching to each other and building protective reef communities. With their reefs often exceeding kilometers in length, oysters play a major role in balancing the health of coastal marine ecosystems. Few details are available to describe oyster adhesive composition or structure. Here several characterization methods were applied to describe the nature of this material. Microscopy studies indicated that the glue is comprised of organic fiber-like and sheet-like structures surrounded by an inorganic matrix. Phospholipids, cross-linking chemistry, and conjugated organics were found to differentiate this adhesive from the shell. Symbiosis in material synthesis could also be present, with oysters incorporating bacterial polysaccharides into their adhesive. Oyster glue shows that an organic-inorganic composite material can provide adhesion, a property especially important when constructing a marine ecosystem.
牡蛎具有令人惊叹的能力，能够克服潮间带压力环境下的生存困难。这些贝类会分泌一种粘合剂，用于相互附着并构建保护性的礁石群落。牡蛎形成的礁石长度常常超过数公里，在平衡沿海海洋生态系统的健康方面发挥着重要作用。关于牡蛎粘合剂的成分或结构，可供描述的细节很少。在此，我们应用了几种表征方法来描述这种材料的性质。显微镜研究表明，这种胶水由有机纤维状和片状结构组成，周围环绕着无机基质。研究发现，磷脂、交联化学和共轭有机物使这种粘合剂有别于贝壳。在材料合成过程中也可能存在共生现象，即牡蛎将细菌多糖纳入其粘合剂中。牡蛎胶水表明，有机-无机复合材料能够提供粘附力，这一特性在构建海洋生态系统时尤为重要。
