2001/11/01 by E. Paasche · 7 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Marine Biology and Ecology Research #Marine and coastal ecosystems #Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena
paper · doi:10.2216/i0031-8884-40-6-503.1
crossref issued 2001/11/01 · crossref published 2001/11/01 · crossref published-print 2001/11/01 · openalex publication_date 2001/11/01 · crossref created 2010/07/07 · crossref published-online 2019/04/15 · crossref deposited 2019/04/15 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/30 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Emiliania huxleyi is numerically the most important coccolithophorid in the modern ocean and has been intensely studied in the contexts of biogeochemistry (especially relating to the global carbon cycle), plankton ecology, biomineralization, and cellular carbon transport. This paper reviews older as well as more recently acquired information on reproduction, morphology, ecophysiology, and cell physiology of E. huxleyi, emphasizing aspects that are relevant to coccolith formation and calcification–photosynthesis interactions. The existence of a number of ecotypes, which probably accounts for the wide distribution of this species in nature, complicates comparisons between laboratory studies in which different clones have been used. Coccolith formation is a strongly regulated process; use of mutants may be helpful in elucidating the control mechanisms involved. Conceptual models illustrating the role of calcification in photosynthetic carbon supply are supported by extensive experimental evidence, but the exact mechanisms of calcium and bicarbonate ion transport and of CO2 entry into the cell remain to be established.