Why do coccolithophores calcify?
We conclude that calcification has high energy demands and that coccolithophores might have calcified initially to reduce grazing pressure but that additional benefits such as protection from photodamage and viral/bacterial attack further explain their high diversity and broad spectrum ecology.
Are coccolithophores harmful?
Coccolithophores are not normally harmful to other marine life in the ocean. The nutrient-poor conditions that allow the Coccolithophores to exist will often kill off much of the larger phytoplankton.
Where are coccolithophores found?
Coccolithophores are single-celled calcifying algae of the phylum (or division) Haptophyta and class Prymnesiophyceae that produce calcite scales, called coccoliths. Both the coccolithophores and their detached coccoliths are ubiquitously found in the surface waters throughout the global ocean.
Why do coccolithophores matter?
Coccolithophores, which are considered to be the most productive calcifying organisms on earth, play an important role in the marine carbon cycle. The formation of calcite skeletons in the surface layer and their subsequent sinking to depth modifies upper-ocean alkalinity and directly affects air/sea CO2 exchange.
What are coccolithophores made of?
Coccolithophores are single-celled phytoplankton that produce small calcium carbonate (CaCO3) scales (coccoliths) which cover the cell surface in the form of a spherical coating, called a coccosphere. They have been an integral part of marine plankton communities since the Jurassic.
Are coccolithophores extinct?
All but one species of coccolith disappeared during an extinction event at the Triassic/Jurassic boundary (~200 Ma). Nannofossils were rapidly re-established in the earliest Jurassic (185-195 Ma) and appear to have colonized all marine environments during this time.
How long have coccolithophores been around?
about 200 million years
The predatory plankton belonged to a family of armored, algaelike organisms called coccolithophores, or coccoliths. They have been around for about 200 million years, and many forms still bob along as ocean plankton today.
Do coccolithophores move?
Although motility and colony formation vary according to the life cycle of different coccolithophore species, there is often alternation between a motile, haploid phase, and a non-motile diploid phase. In both phases, the organism’s dispersal is largely due to ocean currents and circulation patterns.