Cellular morphological trait dataset for extant coccolithophores from the Atlantic Ocean

Area of Science:

• Marine biology
• Biogeochemistry
• Plankton ecology

Background:

• Coccolithophores are diverse planktonic calcifiers influencing global carbon cycling and marine food webs.
• Understanding coccolithophore morphology, including size and calcification, is crucial but limited by data from few species.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a comprehensive reference dataset of coccolithophore morphological traits.
• To enable exploration of trait-environment relationships and contributions to biogeochemical processes.
• To improve coccolithophore representation in marine ecosystem models.

Main Methods:

• Generated a novel dataset of coccolithophore morphological traits from 1074 individual cells.
• Included cell size, coccolith size, coccolith count per cell, and cellular calcite content.
• Sampled 61 species across 25 genera during the Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) 14 cruise.

Main Results:

• Established a unique reference dataset for coccolithophore morphology.
• Collected species-spanning data from equatorial to temperate regions.
• Quantified cell-specific data for coccosphere, cell size, coccolith size, coccolith number, and calcite content.

Conclusions:

• The new dataset offers insights into coccolithophore functional traits and their ecological roles.
• Facilitates research on trait-environment interactions and pelagic carbonate production.
• Aids in validating and enhancing marine biogeochemical and ecosystem models.