image: This is a side view of an otolith imaged with SEM; the top is smooth (oriented downward) and the bottom is pitted (we believe that pits are where the otolith has overgrown the "hair cells" that sense the motion of the otolith). Holes are ~1-2 microns in diameter. The scale bar is in the lower right. This image relates to an article that appeared in the June 26, 2009, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. David Checkley of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego in San Diego, Calif., and colleagues was titled, "Elevated CO2 Enhances Otolith Growth in Young Fish". view more
Credit: Image courtesy of David Checkley