Fragilariopsis kerguelensis
Species of single-celled organism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fragilariopsis kerguelensis,[1] is a pennate diatom native to the Southern Ocean. It has been characterized as "the most abundant diatom in the Antarctic Seas".[2]
| Fragilariopsis kerguelensis | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Sar |
| Clade: | Stramenopiles |
| Division: | Ochrophyta |
| Clade: | Bacillariophyta |
| Class: | Bacillariophyceae |
| Order: | Bacillariales |
| Family: | Bacillariaceae |
| Genus: | Fragilariopsis |
| Species: | F. kerguelensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Fragilariopsis kerguelensis (O'Meara) Hustedt | |
| Synonyms | |
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Description
Fragilariopsis kerguelensis is a unicellular, phototrophic, microalga with a range in size of 10 - 80 μm.[3] It is encased in a heavily silicified cell wall, called the frustule, and is identified by its unique theca, raphe and striations, which distinguish it from other diatoms.[4] They are native to pelagic environments of the Southern Ocean within a temperature range of -1° to 18° C.[5] F. kerguelensis is known to form community chains that consist of 20-100 cells and can be up to 300 μm long.[6]
Use as a paleoceanographic proxy
Fragilariopsis kerguelensis is well preserved in the fossil record and commonly referenced as a paleoceanographic or paleoclimatic proxy. F. kerguelensis comprises the largest deposit of biogenic silica in the world (~75%) despite only accounting for 20% of global production.[5][7] It is an open water species and is found in its highest abundance between the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the Subtropical Front.[8] This, along with its tendency to increase valve size near polar fronts, makes F. kerguelensis an ideal indicator of paleoclimate polar front or low-carbon, high-silica exporting regimes.[9][10] Modern assemblages with F. kerguelensis can be used to calculate past sea surface temperature through the use of transfer functions.[5]