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Review
. 2021 Jan 15:120:4-11.
doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2020.07.050. Epub 2020 Aug 4.

Coccolithophore calcification: Changing paradigms in changing oceans

Colin Brownlee  1 , Gerald Langer  2 , Glen L Wheeler  2
Affiliations
Review

Coccolithophore calcification: Changing paradigms in changing oceans

Colin Brownlee et al. Acta Biomater. .

Abstract

Coccolithophores represent a major component of the marine phytoplankton and contribute to the bulk of biogenic calcite formation on Earth. These unicellular protists produce minute calcite scales (coccoliths) within the cell, which are secreted to the cell surface. Individual coccoliths and their arrangements on the cell surface display a wide range of morphological variations. This review explores some of the recent evidence that points to similarities and differences in the mechanisms of calcification, focussing on the transport mechanisms that bring substrates to, and remove products from the site of calcification, together with new findings on factors that regulate coccolith morphology. We argue that better knowledge of these mechanisms and their variations is needed to inform more generally how different species of coccolithophore are likely to respond to changes in ocean chemistry. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Coccolithophores, minute single celled phytoplankton are the major producers of biogenic carbonate on Earth. They also represent an important component of the ocean's biota and contribute significantly to global carbon fluxes. Coccolithophores produce intricate calcite scales (coccoliths) internally that they secrete onto their external surface. This review presents some recent key findings on the mechanisms underlying the production of coccoliths. It also considers the factors that regulate the rate of production as well as the variety of shapes of individual coccoliths and their arrangements at the cell surface. Understanding these processes is needed to allow better predictions of how coccolithophores may respond to changing ocean chemistry associated with climate change.

Keywords: Coccolith; Coccolithophore; Morphogenesis; Transport.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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