Animal-like urea cycle in ocean’s tiny diatoms enables marine phytoplankton to use carbon and nitrogen from their environment
Posted by ScienceDaily: Oceanography News on 11 May, 2011
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Scientists have discovered that marine diatoms, tiny phytoplankton abundant in the sea, have an animal-like urea cycle, and that this cycle enables the diatoms to efficiently use carbon and nitrogen from their environment. The research team believes that the cycle could be a reason for the domination of diatoms in marine environments, especially after upwelling events -- the upward movement of nutrient rich waters from the deep ocean to the surface....