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 Malaysia said on Sunday the piece of debris, a 2-2.5 meter (6.5-8
feet) wing surface known as flaperon, had been identified as being
from a Boeing <BA.N> 777, the same model as the missing Malaysian
plane. Investigators in France are expected to determine whether the
piece came from MH370 or not by Wednesday.
MH370 is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean,
about 3,700 km (2,300 miles) away from Reunion.
Based on photographs, ecologists in Australia believe the
crustaceans clinging to the wing piece are goose or stalk barnacles.
"Barnacle shells ... can tell us valuable information about the
water conditions under which they were formed," said Ryan Pearson, a
PhD student at Australia's Griffith University who is studying the
shell chemistry of barnacles to determine migration patterns of
endangered loggerhead turtles.
The technique is also used to study the movement of whales.
 Experts analyze barnacle shells to determine the temperature and
chemical composition of the water through which they passed to help
reveal their origin.
While the technique could help narrow the area of the search for
MH370 to within tens, or hundreds, of kilometers, it was unlikely to
pinpoint an exact location, Pearson said.
Barnacles can be aged, based on growth rates and size. If the
barnacles on the debris are older than the date MH370 went missing,
it would rule it coming from that plane, said Melanie Bishop a
professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie
University.
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Ecologists would look at whether the barnacles were on the surface
of the flaperon or confined to the sides as that could indicate
whether the debris moved on the surface of the water or was
submerged.
The investigators in France would also be on the lookout for other
organisms such as tube worms, coralline red algae or shellfish that
could also provide clues.
Marine archaeologists study barnacles for clues about shipwrecks but
this was believed to be the first time they will be studied to
determine the fate of an airliner.
"It's a nice example of the unexpected ways that discovery research
can be surprisingly useful in tackling new problems in different
contexts," said professor Angela Moles, evolution and ecology
research center at the University of New South Wales.
(Reporting by Swati Pandey; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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