Extracellular calcification inChrysotila lamellosa(Prymnesiophyceae)

Abstract

Extracellular calcification has been observed in two strains of Chrysotila lamellosa using both light and electron microscopy and differences between the structure of the calcification in each strain noted. It is considered that the morphology of such structures is not a sufficiently reliable character to be used alone in distinguishing between species, but may be useful in conjunction with other information. A comparison is made with extracellular calcification in other microorganisms and the significance of such calcification to our understanding of the nature of certain Cretaceous nanofossils is discussed.