Unexpected silicon localization in calcium carbonate exoskeleton of cultured and fossil coccolithophores.

ABSTRACT: Coccolithophores, marine calcifying phytoplankton, are important primary producers impacting the global carbon cycle at different timescales. Their biomineral structures, the calcite containing coccoliths, are among the most elaborate hard parts of any organism. Understanding the morphogenesis of coccoliths is not only relevant in the context of coccolithophore eco-physiology but will also inform biomineralization and crystal design research more generally. The recent discovery of a silicon (Si) requirement for crystal shaping in some coccolithophores has opened up a new avenue of biomineralization research. In order to develop a mechanistic understanding of the role of Si, the presence and localization of this chemical element in coccoliths needs to be known. Here, we document for the fir

SUBMITTER: Bordiga M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10164752 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature