Question

A marine algae called Emiliana huxleyi can overgrow, creating an algal bloom covering thousands of square kilometers of ocean. As a consequence, these blooms can be devastating to ocean aquatic life. Fortunately, viruses contribute to its life cycle by lysing Emiliana huxleyi, thereby releasing trapped algal ________ and minerals back into the ocean ecosystem.

Answer 1

Answer:

Carbon

Explanation:

Emiliana huxleyi is a coccolithophore, a eukaryotic unicellular alga that grows in the oceans of the world, from the tropic to the subarctic areas. It has an external calcite skeleton, which is equivalent to aproximately one thirth of the CaCO₃ marine production. Under favorable conditions, this species can overgrow producing blooms, which are giant aggregations that can cover several square kilometers. These blooms can seriously affect the aquatic ocean life on a global level by running out nutrients and forbidding sunlight to reach certain depth levels.

When these blooms are infected with a specific virus called EhV, their calcic carbonate exoskeletons explode dispersing particles in water and releasing carbon and minerals back to the oceans. EhV viruses act as a biological control for these blooms.