A new life form of tiny, cold-loving micro-organisms involved in photosynthesis has been discovered in the Arctic Ocean, according to an international team of scientists, including a Canadian researcher.
The tiny plant organism, called a picobiliphyte, is distinct from anything else in the ocean, according to Université Laval biologist and professor Connie Lovejoy.
..."It doesn't follow close to anything else we know about," said Lovejoy.
Picobiliphytes are plants containing fluorescent substances that glow under certain waves of light and are small enough to measure in microns — or millionths of a metre.
...
Though the picobiliphytes are a relatively rare species of algae, they appear consistently in samples and are more common in the Canadian Arctic than in Europe, leading Lovejoy to suggest they might thrive in colder conditions.
They were almost completely absent from studies of Mediterranean waters, except for small amounts in winter.
No comments:
Post a Comment