| Summary: | Coccolithophores are a group of microscopic marine phytoplankton that obtain their energy from sunlight. They are distinguished from other phytoplankton by their construction of calcium carbonate plates, called coccoliths, with which they surround their cells. They are one of the most abundant phytoplankton groups, making up about 10% of total global phytoplankton biomass. They are short-lived and can switch between diploid and haploid life stages, with each stage sometimes possessing a different type of coccolith, or the haploid stage sometimes none at all. Some species, in particular the intensively studied species Emiliania huxleyi, under certain conditions undergo unrestrained proliferation to form massive blooms. Because E. huxleyi cells also produce unusually large numbers of coccoliths, which scatter light, their blooms form bright waters which are conspicuous in satellite images. Coccoliths make up about half of the open ocean vertical flux of inorganic carbon (calcium carbonate), and are therefore important in the marine carbon cycle. Research is presently being undertaken to ascertain whether, and if so to what degree, they will be affected by ocean acidification. © 2009 Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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