Physiology regulates the relationship between coccosphere geometry and growth phase in coccolithophores

Sheward, Rosie M.; Poulton, Alex J.; Gibbs, Samantha J.; Daniels, Chris J.; Bown, Paul R.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1493-2017

Articles | Volume 14, issue 6

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1493-2017

© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1493-2017

© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 14, issue 6

Research article

|

24 Mar 2017

Research article |

| 24 Mar 2017

Physiology regulates the relationship between coccosphere geometry and growth phase in coccolithophores

Rosie M. Sheward, Alex J. Poulton, Samantha J. Gibbs, Chris J. Daniels, and Paul R. Bown

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1493-2017-supplement

Data sets

Coccosphere geometry measurements from culture experiments on the coccolithophore species Calcidiscus leptoporus, Calcidiscus quadriperforatus and Helicosphaera carteri. R. M. Sheward, A. J. Poulton, and S. J. Gibbs https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.865403

Download

Article (5046 KB)
Full-text XML

Short summary

Our culture experiments on modern Coccolithophores find that physiology regulates shifts in the geometry of their carbonate shells (coccospheres) between growth phases. This provides a tool to access growth information in modern and past populations. Directly comparing modern species with fossil coccospheres derives a new proxy for investigating the physiology that underpins phytoplankton responses to environmental change through geological time.