We know flow cytometry is widely used in biomedical research, molecular biology and proteomics, but can it crack the carbon cycle? That depends how much CO2 a tiny sea creature can absorb.
The world’s largest carbon sink is the world’s ocean, which have absorbed third of the carbon dioxide generated (about 118 billion tons) since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. That’s a lot of carbon.
Oceans react to the change in CO2 ratio by becoming more acidic. This reduces the amount of calcium carbonate available to sea creatures that depend on creating their own protective layers. This has had researchers worried about CO2 emissions killing off important coral species.
But another lesser known species—Emiliania huxleyi—is showing us just how readily some animals adapt. Known as the “lab rat” of coccolithophores, this animal, which grows small Frisbee-like calcium (see picture of the day) plates all over its microscope body, grows in such huge numbers it impacts the carbon cycle and is readily visible space when it blooms.
Researchers have been examining the role of coccolithophores with a variety of tools, from microsatellite examinations of phytoplankton toocean imaging satellites in Earth orbit. But flow cytometry was the key in revealing the fact that coccolithophores have increased their calcium carbonate production 40% since 1800, and will likely continue the process. As part of the study, scientists from the Univ of Washington analyzedE. huxleyi by detecting the light-absorbing or fluorescing properties of cells or cell fractions (chromosomes) passing through a laser.
Their results , supported by sediment cores taken from the North Atlantic by the National Oceanographic Centre, UK, show that calcification by phytoplankton could double by the year 2100. The implications of this finding are uncertain, but it’s clear that cytometry is widening its playing field.
