Climate Change Coping Mechanism Discovered In Humble Algae
Published:01 Nov.2023 Source:University of East Anglia
The discovery holds promises for biotechnology developments that could counter the negative effects of changing environmental conditions, such as ocean warming and even the reduction in the productivity of crops.
Looking at eukaryotic phytoplankton, also referred to as microalgae, found over large parts of the ocean, the international team led by UEA's Prof Thomas Mock discovered the algae have found a way to cope with nutrient starvation, which is predicted to increase due to warming waters. This is good news for the food chain -- marine microalgae are the base of the largest food web on Earth including krill, fish, penguins, and whales -- as well as pulling CO2 from the atmosphere and producing oxygen.
Thomas Mock, Professor of Marine Microbiology in UEA's School of Environmental Sciences and his former PhD student Dr Jan Strauss, are the corresponding authors of 'Plastid-localized xanthorhodopsin increases diatom biomass and ecosystem productivity in iron-limited surface ocean', which is published today in the journal Nature Microbiology.