Cryoprotection intrigues me still ... I can't let it go ... I don't think I've quite wrapped my head around it entirely, as reflected in this post ...
Diatoms (single celled algae with silicate cell walls) in the ocean release ice-binding proteins to prevent ice crystals forming (their own antifreeze molecules), which would restrict their growth and motility. Diatom abundance and composition in the ocean therefore also affects the structure, melt (light penetration) and formation of sea ice. Massive blooms of diatomic algae in the ocean make for thinner ice sheets, as well as more abundant biomass for the base of our planet's food chain. (Good and bad at the same time? Ooh, maybe we mistakenly exercise 'judgement' on what IS without any need to - it just IS, it has no inherent quality.)
And lakes too, of course! Excess algal growth can inhibit the formation of ice cover ... and thereby alter/influence what happens to other life forms in other habitats ... that's how ecosystems are!
It's interesting contemplating how such small, single celled organisms can alter major environmental systems! I'm ever-wowed by the complexity of nature, and the way we 'judge' or name it.
No comments:
Post a Comment