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Calcification in coccolithophores: A cellular perspective

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Book cover Coccolithophores

Summary

Knowledge of the mechanisms of calcification in different species of coccolithophores and the interactions between calcification and other cellular processes is required for further understanding the regulation of a key component of inorganic carbon flux in the oceans. In particular the functions of calcification in relation to photosynthesis and nutrient acquisition are still debated. Increased understanding of the cellular regulation of calcification is also required to accurately predict the responses to elevated atmospheric CO2 on a global scale. Moreover, transport processes in delivery of substrates for calcification will improve our ability to interpret isotopic fractionation in the fossil record that is increasingly being used as a proxy for past climatic conditions. Advances in single cell physiology and molecular biology are already contributing significantly to the study of calcification at the cellular level. The application of genomics approaches should, in the longer term, contribute further to the goal of understanding of how cellular functions contribute to processes at ecosystem and global levels.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Laboratory, Marine Biological Association, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PB, UK

    Colin Brownlee & Alison Taylor

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  1. Colin Brownlee
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  2. Alison Taylor
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Geological Institute, ETH-Zentrum, 8092, Zürich, Switzerland

    Hans R. Thierstein

  2. Department of Palaeontology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD, London, UK

    Jeremy R. Young

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Brownlee, C., Taylor, A. (2004). Calcification in coccolithophores: A cellular perspective. In: Thierstein, H.R., Young, J.R. (eds) Coccolithophores. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-06278-4_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-06278-4_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-06016-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-06278-4

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