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Topic: Coccolithophores


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In the News (Mon 16 Nov 09)

  
  Thinking big - all about coccolithophores, Quarterdeck 5.2
Coccolithophores are one type of phytoplankton, organisms that live near the ocean surface where they can use abundant light for photosynthesis.
Some coccolithophores flourish in places too spartan for many other phytoplankton; in the ocean centers where nutrients are scarce or in the lower parts of surface waters where there is little light to drive photosynthesis.
Coccolithophore blooms can triple the amount of light reflected into space by the surface waters they occupy, reducing the amount of light that penetrates the upper layers of the ocean.
www-ocean.tamu.edu /Quarterdeck/QD5.2/shatto-slowey.html   (1572 words)

  
 Coccolithophores in the Gulf of Mexico
Coccolithophores live in the photic zone-the upper part of the ocean where there is enough light to support photosynthesis.
Coccolithophores in the "basement," the deepest layer, have direct access to nutrients but are slow to use them for lack of sufficient light.
Coccolithophores in the "kitchen," the middle layer, have moderate light and immediately use any nutrients that come in from the basement as well as leftovers, recycled nutrients released by the decay of dead plankton and other organisms.
www-ocean.tamu.edu /Quarterdeck/QD5.2/pariente.html   (1785 words)

  
 Coccolithophore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coccolithophores are single-celled algae belonging to the haptophytes.
Coccolithophores are exclusively marine and are found in large numbers throughout the surface euphotic zone of the ocean.
An example of a globally significant coccolithophore is Emiliania huxleyi.
en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Coccolithophore   (81 words)

  
 The Very Best Books : Coccolithophores
Coccolithophores are one of the primary algal groups in the oceans.
The book starts with a history of coccolithophore studies, followed by chapters discussing coccolithophore biology, and the composition, function, and classification of their skeletal elements.
Through a series of contributions from key workers in the field, the reader can then follow the path of the organisms from the ocean surface, through the water column to the ocean floor and the addition to the sedimentary rock record.
www.elise.com /store/0521380502/Coccolithophores.html   (135 words)

  
 BBC - h2g2 - Coccolithophores: Earth's Little Helpers
Coccolithophores are marine-dwelling phytoplanktons (tiny micro-organisms - they cannot be seen with the naked eye - that live in the mixed (upper) layer of the sea and are eaten by zooplankton and small fish).
Supporters of coccolithophores' population increase should be aware that the same formation of coccoliths that has reduced the amount of carbon in the air also produces carbon dioxide molecules from oxygen and carbon in the oceans.
A peculiar effect caused by the coccolithophores is that they increase albedo, or the amount of sunlight that an object reflects, and they change of colors of the oceans that are their habitats.
www.bbc.co.uk /dna/ww2/A3709433   (1316 words)

  
 EO Library: What is a Coccolithophore? Fact Sheet   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Like any other type of phytoplankton, coccolithophores are one-celled marine plants that live in large numbers throughout the upper layers of the ocean.
At any one time a single coccolithophore is attached to or surrounded by at least 30 scales.
In areas with trillions of coccolithophores, the waters will turn an opaque turquoise from the dense cloud of coccoliths.
earthobservatory.nasa.gov /Library/Coccolithophores   (188 words)

  
 Society of Protozoologists: Portal to Protistology
Coccolithophores are minute (5-20µm) unicellar algae of the Division (or phylum) Haptophyta, characterised by bearing an exoskeleton of calcareous plates, coccoliths.
There are several neritic species and one freshwater species but the group is predominantly planktonic with maximum diversity and maximum abundance relative to other phytoplankton in open ocean oligotrophic waters where they are often form a major proportion of the phytoplankton biomass.
Consequently it has become something of a laboratory rat species, it is the default coccolithophore in comparative studies and the process and biochemistry of calcification in it has been widely studied.
www.uga.edu /protozoa/portal/coccolithophores.html   (1174 words)

  
 EO Library: What is a Coccolithophore? Fact Sheet Page 3   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Coccolithophores are not normally harmful to other marine life in the ocean.
Coccolithophores make their coccoliths out of one part carbon, one part calcium and three parts oxygen (CaCO3).
The coccolithophores also affect the global climate in the short term by increasing the oceans' albedo.
eobglossary.gsfc.nasa.gov /Library/Coccolithophores/coccolith_3.html   (384 words)

  
 BBC - h2g2 - Coccolithophores: Earth's Little Helpers
Coccolithophores are marine dwelling phytoplanktons [tiny micro-organisms - cannot be seen with the naked eye - that live in the mixed
Supporters of coccolithophores' population increase should be aware that the same formation of coccoliths that had reduced the amount of carbon in the air had also produced a carbon dioxide molecule from oxygen and carbon in the oceans.
A peculiar effect caused by the coccolithophores is the increase in albedo, sunlight that an object reflects, and the changing of colors of the oceans that are the habitats of coccolithophores.
www.bbc.co.uk /dna/ww2/A3590976   (1228 words)

  
 Ocean Science Station
Coccolithophores are one-celled phytoplankton, some of the microscopic plants in the ocean.
Coccolithophores are the only marine organisms that provide indicators of past climatic and oceanographic conditions in two ways.
The research in the Gulf of California is a good opportunity for Patrizia and her students (Bianca De Bernardi and Mascha Dedert) to work with scientists interested in the biomarkers produced by these algae, and to compare their ecology and carbonate chemistry.
www.literacyworks.org /ocean/report-askaplant/coccolithophores.html   (256 words)

  
 CODENET: Coccolithophorid evolutionary biodiversity and ecology network   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Coccolithophores are cosmopolitan unicellular planktic marine algae and their exceptional fossil record preserved in deep-sea sediments offers a unique opportunity to test evolutionary hypotheses and the links between this dominant oceanic phytoplankton group, ocean dynamics and climate.
In order to more efficiently utilise fossil coccoliths as tracers of past global changes, it is necessary to understand their biodiversity and ecology at the present day and their evolution during the geological past.
New morphological analyses of fossil coccolithophores tied in well with the analysis of the living keystone species and will improve the interpretation of biodiversity back in geological time.
www.aramis-research.ch /e/6645.html   (649 words)

  
 Coccolithophores   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Coccolithophores influence the global climate system through the organic carbon pump (POC), the carbonate pump (PIC) and by the emission of dimethyl-sulphide (DMS).
GEM investigates the interactions between coccolithophores and climate by producing mechanistic model operating at the molecular biological to the ecological and global/geological levels of organization.
The major mechanism of transport of coccoliths is through loosely consolidated macroaggregates and fecal pellets, and secondarily as intact coccospheres and as agglutinates on the loricae of tintinnids.
www.geol.sc.edu /msrl/cocco.htm   (271 words)

  
 Coccolithophores - Cambridge University Press   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
They are the focus of recent research in many disciplines due to their importance in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and stratigraphy.
Composition and morphology of coccolithophore skeletons William G. Siesser and Amos Winter; 5.
Biogeography of coccolithophores in oceanic waters Amos Winter, Ric W. Jordan and Peter H. Roth; 9.
www.cambridge.org /aus/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=0521380502   (277 words)

  
 EO Library: What is a Coccolithophore? Fact Sheet Page 2   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
In contrast, the coccolithophores prefer to live on the surface in still, nutrient-poor water in mild temperatures.
Yet unlike their cousins, coccolithophores do not need a constant influx of fresh food to live.
In the past two years, large blooms of coccolithophores have covered areas of the Bering Sea.
earthobservatory.nasa.gov /Library/Coccolithophores/coccolith_2.html   (207 words)

  
 Introduction to the Prymnesiophyta   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
The plates accumulate on the bottom of the ocean as the organisms die, and there contribute to the formation of ocean sediments, carbonate oozes, and rocks such as the Mesozoic limestones and chalks.
The group made a sudden and rapid appearance of new forms in the early Jurassic, and reached its greatest abundance in the Late Cretaceous.
Near the end of the Cretaceous, the coccolithophores suffered a mass extinction of groups; two-thirds of the 50 genera disappear at that time, though many new groups appear in the Paleocene.
www.ucmp.berkeley.edu /chromista/prymnesiophyta.html   (518 words)

  
 e-Prints Soton - Distribution of diatoms, coccolithophores and planktic foraminifers along a trophic gradient during SW ...
Distribution of diatoms, coccolithophores and planktic foraminifers along a trophic gradient during SW monsoon in the Arabian Sea
The distribution of diatoms, coccolithophores and planktic foraminifers mirrored the hydrographic and trophic conditions of the surface ocean (0–100 m) across the upwelling area off the Oman coast to the central Arabian Sea during May/June 1997 and July/August 1995.
To the oligotrophic southeast of the divergence, cell densities of coccolithophores declined and Umbellosphaera irregularis prevailed throughout the water column down to 100 m depth.
eprints.soton.ac.uk /9868   (446 words)

  
 Marine algae: Coccolithophores   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
The bacterial population in the bloom was dominated by a single species related to the genus Roseobacter, which accounted for 24% of the bacterioplankton numbers and up to 50% of the biomass.
It is concluded that the diverse range of calcareous structures produced by haptophytes probably has a common phylogenetic origin and is produced via operation of a limited set of mainly shared genetic and biochemical pathways.
Unicellular marine algae known as coccolithophores are potentially important organisms for the study of gravitational effects on biomineralization.
www.genomenewsnetwork.com /articles/02_02/bloom_lit.shtml   (1042 words)

  
 HOW AN INCREASE IN THE MG/CA RATIO OF SEAWATER AFTER THE CRETACEOUS DEPRESSED CHALK PRODUCTION AND CAUSED SOME ...
Our experiments show that three modern coccolithophore species flourish in such seawater even though it is not their natural environmental medium.
We predicted this pattern because coccoliths are formed of calcite, and enhanced calcification under favorable chemical conditions should fertilize photosynthesis because precipitation of calcium carbonate forms carbon dioxide as a biproduct.
Being unable to take advantage of high concentrations of other nutrients (phosphates, nitrates, and iron) in eutrophic regions, most modern coccolithophore species are relegated to oligotrophic waters of the subtropics and tropics, where their populations are sparse.
gsa.confex.com /gsa/2004AM/finalprogram/abstract_76987.htm   (506 words)

  
 EVOLUTION AND ECOLOGY OF COCCOLITHOPHORES: IF LUMPING IS OUT, HOW DO WE SPLIT?   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
However, recent detailed morphometric analyses of a few taxa also suggest that the diversity of the coccolithophore community may be considerably underestimated because fine scale morphological variations in some species appear to be also reflected in their ecological preferences.
To what extent the overal species diversity of coccolithophores may have been underestimated, however, remains to be determined.
A potential consequence of an inadequate taxonomic resolution might be the lack of obvious and consistent correlations between past changes in diversity and global climate and the anomalously long species longevities computed from stratigraphic analyses.
gsa.confex.com /gsa/2004AM/finalprogram/abstract_76806.htm   (431 words)

  
 Calcareous Nannofossils
Formally coccolithophores are separated from other phytoplankton such as diatoms by the presence of a third flagella-like appendage called a haptonema, although the flagella bearing stage is often only one of a multi-stage life cycle.
Today coccolithophores are one of the most important forms of phytoplankton found in the oceans, and may be described as the grass of the sea.
Widespread distribution, as part of the phytoplankton coccolithophores are distributed throughout the photic zone (predominantly the upper 50m of the water column) across almost all marine habitats.
www.ucl.ac.uk /GeolSci/micropal/calcnanno.html   (2346 words)

  
 Coccolithophores: 紀伊國屋書店BookWeb
Provides a history of coccolithophore studies, then discusses coccolithophore biology and the composition, function and classification of their skeletal elements.
They are the focus of recent research in many disciplines due to their importance in palaeo-environmental reconstruction and stratigraphy.
Historical background of coccolithophore studies and related studies WILLIAM G. Ultrastructure and calcification of coccolithophores RICHARD N. Physiological ecology of marine coccolithophores LARRY BRAND; 4.
bookweb.kinokuniya.co.jp /guest/cgi-bin/booksea.cgi?ISBN=0521380502   (375 words)

  
 EO Natural Hazards: Coccolithophores in the Barents Sea   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
What is likely a large coccolithophore bloom appeared across the southern half of the Barents Sea on August 21, 2002.
Coccolithophores are a type of microscopic plant known as phytoplankton.
Unlike most other types of phytoplankton, coccolithophores surround themselves with microscopic plating made of calcite.
eob.gsfc.nasa.gov /NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=4713   (226 words)

  
 Award-winning Coccolithophores in Exhibition
When we work with coccolithophores we sometimes forget their beauty, strangeness and visual impact.
We were asked to prepare a temporary exhibition of coccolithophore images and in collaboration with an editor and exhibition designer 14 images of coccospheres were selected, mainly on the basis of image quality and attractiveness but also to illustrate a wide range of morphologies and some of the more interesting structures.
A TEM section was included to provide a graphic explanation of the relationship between the coccosphere and the cell and a coccolithophore bloom image (courtesy of S. Groom PML) to show the ecological impact of cocolithophores.
www.imbc.gr /whats_new/award.html   (329 words)

  
 Pseudo-cryptic speciation in coccolithophores -- Sáez et al. 100 (12): 7163 -- Proceedings of the National ...
Coccolithophores are a group of calcifying unicellular algae
of coccolithophores of this study is limited, we have confirmed,
(16, 48), should be further investigated in coccolithophores.
www.pnas.org /cgi/content/full/100/12/7163   (3407 words)

  
 Abebooks Search Results - Coccolithophores From Molecular Processes to Global Impact   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
In the past few years rapid progress has been made regarding our understanding of one of the dominant phytoplankton groups of the world's oceans: the coccolithophores.
Among other initiatives, the EU-funded TMR network CODENET (Coccolithophores Evolutionary Biodiversity and Ecology Network) has provided new results and insights.
These and many other findings are reviewed and synthesized in a number of individual chapters which focus on coccolithophore biology (molecular to cellular), ecology (ex.
textbook.abebooks.com /Title/400026/Coccolithophores+From+Molecular+Processes+to+Global+Impact.html   (490 words)

  
 Visible Earth: Coccolithophores in the Gulf of Maine   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Earlier this summer, trillions of calcite (limestone) coated phytoplankton, known as coccolithophores, appeared in the waters off the coast of Maine.
This true color image of the coccolithophore bloom was acquired on July 11, 2002, by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA’s Terra spacecraft.
The bloom is the large bluish-green patch in the center of the image in the Gulf of Maine.
visibleearth.nasa.gov /cgi-bin/viewrecord?17930   (271 words)

  
 EO Natural Hazards: Coccolithophores in the Barents Sea   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
The Barents Sea features a striking coccolithophore bloom in this image acquired August 22, 2002, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite.
What makes coccolithophores different from other species of phytoplankton is their calcite shells and their ability to live in more temperate waters with fewer nutrients.
Coccolithophores can produce fantastic amounts of calcite?at 1.5 million tons per year they are the leading calcite producers in the ocean.
eob.gsfc.nasa.gov /NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=4718   (282 words)

  
 Coccolithophore   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Coccolithophores are exclusively marine and are found in large numbers throughout the upper layers of the ocean.
All is still licensed under the GNU FDL.
XCIX Havana's Witch-fog murks my Horoscope Towards the Light, where in her opal Shrine And by my tumid Ashes pass along, I got a Market Value for my Song.
www.termsdefined.net /co/coccolithophore.html   (176 words)

  
 Nearctica - Paleontology - Protists
The site has a general introduction to radiolarians, methods and techniques for study, a bibliography, and a summary of their commercial importance in geology.
The Coccolithophores are abundant single-celled marine organisms of the Chromista with a covering of calcareous plates.
This commercial site deals with calcareous nannofossils, mostly coccolithophores and their use in stratigraphy.
www.nearctica.com /paleo/inverts/protists.htm   (588 words)

  
 Global Change Master Directory - Variable Definition Page   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-21)
Coccolithophores are extremely small, flagellated organisms of theKingdom Protista, which are adorned with buttons of calcium carbonate,called coccoliths.
The coccolithophores appear to contributesignificantly to marine food chains by capturing radiant energy andmanufacturing food during photosynthesis.
The coccolithophores make up aconsiderable portion of the microscopic life in warmer regions, such asthe Sargasso Sea.
gcmd.gsfc.nasa.gov /Resources/keyword_defs/Def_DB/BIOSPHERE_MICROBIOTA_TAXONOMY_COCCOLITHOPHORES.html   (69 words)

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