Unicellular algae responsible for the formation of chalk
Coccolithophore
Temporal range: Rhaetian–Recent
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Coccolithus pelagicus
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
(unranked):
Diaphoretickes
(unranked):
Hacrobia
(unranked):
Haptophyta
Class:
Prymnesiophyceae
Order:
Isochrysidales, Coccolithales
Coccolithophore cells are covered with protective calcified (chalk) scales called coccoliths
Coccolithophores, or coccolithophorids, are single-celled organisms which are part of the phytoplankton, the autotrophic (self-feeding) component of the plankton community. They form a group of about 200 species, and belong either to the kingdom Protista, according to Robert Whittaker's five-kingdom system, or clade Hacrobia, according to a newer biological classification system. Within the Hacrobia, the coccolithophores are in the phylum or division Haptophyta, class Prymnesiophyceae (or Coccolithophyceae). Coccolithophores are almost exclusively marine, are photosynthetic, and exist in large numbers throughout the sunlight zone of the ocean.
Coccolithophores are the most productive calcifying organisms on the planet, covering themselves with a calcium carbonate shell called a coccosphere. However, the reasons they calcify remain elusive. One key function may be that the coccosphere offers protection against microzooplankton predation, which is one of the main causes of phytoplankton death in the ocean.[1]
Coccolithophores are ecologically important, and biogeochemically they play significant roles in the marine biological pump and the carbon cycle.[2][1] Depending on habitat, they can produce up to 40 percent of the local marine primary production.[3] They are of particular interest to those studying global climate change because, as ocean acidity increases, their coccoliths may become even more important as a carbon sink.[4] Management strategies are being employed to prevent eutrophication-related coccolithophore blooms, as these blooms lead to a decrease in nutrient flow to lower levels of the ocean.[5]
The most abundant species of coccolithophore, Emiliania huxleyi, belongs to the order Isochrysidales and family Noëlaerhabdaceae.[6] It is found in temperate, subtropical, and tropical oceans.[7] This makes E. huxleyi an important part of the planktonic base of a large proportion of marine food webs. It is also the fastest growing coccolithophore in laboratory cultures.[8] It is studied for the extensive blooms it forms in nutrient depleted waters after the reformation of the summer thermocline.[9][10] and for its production of molecules known as alkenones that are commonly used by earth scientists as a means to estimate past sea surface temperatures.[11]
^ abHaunost, Mathias; Riebesell, Ulf; D'Amore, Francesco; Kelting, Ole; Bach, Lennart T. (30 June 2021). "Influence of the Calcium Carbonate Shell of Coccolithophores on Ingestion and Growth of a Dinoflagellate Predator". Frontiers in Marine Science. 8. Frontiers Media SA. doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.664269. ISSN 2296-7745. Material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
^Rost, Björn; Riebesell, Ulf (2004). "Coccolithophores and the biological pump: Responses to environmental changes". Coccolithophores. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 99–125. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-06278-4_5. ISBN 978-3-642-06016-8.
^Cite error: The named reference de Vries2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Smith, H.E.K.; et al. (2012), "Predominance of heavily calcified coccolithophores at low CaCO3 saturation during winter in the Bay of Biscay", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109 (23): 8845–8849, Bibcode:2012PNAS..109.8845S, doi:10.1073/pnas.1117508109, PMC 3384182, PMID 22615387
^Yunev, O.A.; et al. (2007), "Nutrient and phytoplankton trends on the western Black Sea shelf in response to cultural eutrophication and climate changes", Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 74 (1–2): 63–67, Bibcode:2007ECSS...74...63Y, doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2007.03.030
^Cite error: The named reference Hay1967 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Biogeography and dispersal of micro-organisms: a review emphasizing protists", Acta Protozoologica, 45 (2): 111–136, 2005
^Buitenhuis, Erik T.; Pangerc, Tanja; Franklin, Daniel J.; Le Quéré, Corinne; Malin, Gill (2008), "Growth Rates of Six Coccolithoripd Strains as a Function of Temperature", Limnology and Oceanography, 53 (3): 1181–1185, Bibcode:2008LimOc..53.1181B, doi:10.4319/lo.2008.53.3.1181, S2CID 16601834
Coccolithophores, or coccolithophorids, are single-celled organisms which are part of the phytoplankton, the autotrophic (self-feeding) component of the...
Braarudosphaera bigelowii is a coastal coccolithophore in the fossil record going back 100 million years to the Late Cretaceous. The family Braarudosphaeraceae...
Coccoliths are individual plates or scales of calcium carbonate formed by coccolithophores (single-celled phytoplankton such as Emiliania huxleyi) and cover the...
Gephyrocapsa huxleyi, formerly called Emiliania huxleyi, is a species of coccolithophore found in almost all ocean ecosystems from the equator to sub-polar...
spring and Pseudosolenia calcar-avis blooms during the autumn. CoccolithophoresCoccolithophores are a type of motile, autotrophic phytoplankton that produce...
Coccolithophore shells Many protists have protective shells or tests, usually made from silica (glass) or calcium carbonate (chalk). Protists are a diverse...
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another scientific phenomenon, the "Cheshire Cat" escape strategy. When Coccolithophore – a species of successful ocean algae – is able to resist the haploid...
he swivels to the front as required to match his mood. The fossil coccolithophore Braarudosphaera bigelowii (see figure), a unicellular coastal phytoplanktonic...
organisms in themselves (such as the marine plankters foraminifera and coccolithophores) or component parts (such as small teeth or spores) of larger animals...
nanometres across. Regular polyhedra appear in biology as well. The coccolithophore Braarudosphaera bigelowii has a regular dodecahedral structure, about...
form of the mineral diopside Coccolithophore, a class of phytoplankton (alga) Coccolith, a platelet formed by coccolithophore, found in chalk This disambiguation...
mitochondria have tubular cristae. The best-known haptophytes are coccolithophores, which make up 673 of the 762 described haptophyte species, and have...
(original name: Discosphaera tubifera) is a marine, unicellular species of coccolithophore in the genus Discosphaera. It exhibits a very delicate structure and...
under the sea as the scales or plates of tiny micro-organisms called Coccolithophore. It was the first white pigment used by prehistoric artists in cave...
important groups are the diatoms, cyanobacteria, dinoflagellates, and coccolithophores. Zooplankton (from Greek zoon, or animal) are small protozoans or metazoans...
important phototrophs, the coccolithophores synthesise hard calcium carbonate scales. A globally significant species of coccolithophore is Emiliania huxleyi...
from photosynthesizing bacteria to plant-like algae to armour-plated coccolithophores. Important groups of phytoplankton include the diatoms, cyanobacteria...
consists of coccoliths, microscopically small calcite skeletons of coccolithophores, a type of algae that prospered in the Cretaceous seas. Stagnation...
becoming globally distributed in tropical latitudes by the Late Jurassic. Coccolithophores and dinoflagellates, which had first appeared during the Triassic,...
As the coccolithophores sink to the seafloor they contribute to the vertical carbon dioxide gradient in the water column. Coccolithophores produce calcite...
sulfide is also produced by marine planktonic microorganisms such as the coccolithophores and so is one of the main components responsible for the characteristic...
the Aptian (the base of the Albian) is at the first appearance of coccolithophore species Praediscosphaera columnata in the stratigraphic record.[citation...
Thalassiosira weissflogii. One study used cyanobacteria, diatoms, coccolithophores, and dinoflagellates. This study showed that cyanobacteria was the...
in the Great Calcite Belt is formed by tiny marine organisms called coccolithophores, which build their shells out of calcium carbonate. When these organisms...
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Material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
