Life cycle association of the coccolithophore Syracosphaera gaarderae comb. nov. (ex Alveosphaera bimurata): Taxonomy, ecology and evolutionary implications

The coccolithophores are an important group of marine phytoplankton bearing external calcite plates called coccoliths, and displaying complex sexual life cycles, composed of two main cell phases (haploid and diploid) that in most species can produce distinct coccolith types. Typically, diploid cells produce heterococcoliths, whereas haploid cells produce holococcoliths. An important source of evidence for the ability of coccolithophores to...