Work

Strain-specific responses of Emiliania huxleyi to changing seawater carbonate chemistry

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: . Four strains of the coccolithophore E. huxleyi (RCC1212, RCC1216, RCC1238, RCC1256) were grown in dilute batch culture at four CO2 levels ranging from ~200 μatm to ~1200 μatm. Growth rate, particulate organic carbon content, and particulate inorganic carbon content were measured, and organic and inorganic carbon production calculated. The four strains did not show a uniform response to carbonate chemistry changes in any of the analysed parameters and none of the four strains displayed a response pattern previously described for this species. We conclude that the sensitivity of different strains of E. huxleyi to acidification differs substantially and that this likely has a genetic basis. We propose that this can explain apparently contradictory results reported in the literature.

Source: Biogeosciences

DOI: 10.5194/bg-6-2637-2009

Authors: G. Langer, G. Nehrke, I. Probert, J. Ly, P. Ziveri