Adaptation and carbon acquisition in coccolithophores

Coccolithophorid algae are phytoplankton with an exceptionally long and widespread fossil record, both in the coccolith calcite plates and the specific organic biomarkers which are preserved in marine sediments for the last 100 million years. They are also dominant CaCO₃ producing organisms in the open ocean, and the dense mineral plates contribute to ballasting and providing export of organic carbon into the deep abyss, enhancing the biological carbon pump. There is much debate regarding the fate of coccolithophores and coccolithophore calcification in the future oceans which will feature lowered pH and higher CO₂ from anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. Our work seeks to understand the physiological mechanisms and adaptations which may condition coccolithophorid response to past and future ocean conditions.