What are the coccoliths of coccolithophores made of?

Coccolithophores surround themselves with a microscopic plating made of limestone (calcite). These scales, known as coccoliths, are shaped like hubcaps and are only three one-thousandths of a millimeter in diameter.

Why are coccoliths important?

Their role in regulating the Earth system is considerable. Through their secretion of a tiny composite exoskeleton (the coccosphere made of multiple coccoliths), the coccolithophores are estimated to be responsible for about half of all modern precipitation of CaCO3, in the oceans (Milliman 1993).

Is Emiliania Huxleyi a coccolithophore?

Emiliania huxleyi is the most abundant coccolithophore in the contemporary oceans (Tyrrell and Young, 2009) and regularly forms large blooms which are often terminated by viral infections (Bratbak et al., 1993; Brussaard et al., 1996; Wilson et al., 2002b; Schroeder et al., 2003). Some E.

Where are coccoliths found?

Coccoliths are the main component of the Chalk, a Late Cretaceous rock formation which outcrops widely in southern England and forms the White Cliffs of Dover, and of other similar rocks in many other parts of the world.

How do Coccoliths form?

Formation and composition Coccoliths are formed within the cell in vesicles derived from the golgi body. When the coccolith is complete these vesicles fuse with the cell wall and the coccolith is exocytosed and incorporated in the coccosphere.

What is the importance of Emiliania Huxleyi?

huxleyi blooms underlines their biogeochemical importance in the marine carbon cycle. In addition E. huxleyi also contributes to global sulfur cycling. During grazing Ehux produces the climatically active trace gas dimethyl sulfide; emissions of which may contribute to marine cloud formation and climate regulation.

Where do e Huxleyi blooms occur?

huxleyi blooms in the Norwegian fjords (e.g. Berge 1962), in the North Sea (Holligan et al. 1993b; Van der Wal et al. 1995), in the North Atlantic (Holligan et al. 1993a), in the Bering Sea (Sukhanova and Flint 1998), and in the Gulf of Maine (Balch et al.