chitin
Noun
Meaning
A white amorphous horny substance forming the harder part of the outer integument of insects, crustacea, and various other invertebrates; entomolin.
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Examples
Powered by photosynthesis, cyanobacteria can absorb sunlight, nutrients, and carbon dioxide and create calcium carbonate or chitin, the compound most commonly found in seashells and concrete.
The Vestimentiferan tubeworms build the external chitin structure themselves by secreting chitin from specialized glands located in their body walls.
Fungal cell walls Chemical structure of a unit from a chitin polymer chain.
Chemically, chitin is closely related to chitosan (a more water-soluble derivative of chitin).
Like the trunk portion of the body, the roots of the Vestimentiferan tubeworms are composed of chitin crystallites, which support and protect the tubeworm from predation and environmental stresses.
Polysaccharides serve for the storage of energy (e.g. starch and glycogen ) and as structural components (e.g. cellulose in plants and chitin in arthropods).