Researchers recently discovered two new phytoplankton species: Epithemia pelagica and Epithemia catenata. The species were found to carry out nitrogen fixation, which can help support productivity in nutrient-poor parts of the ocean. While there is much to learn about these new species and the ecological processes they play in the ocean, researchers are excited about their ability to “self-fertilize” and sustain the marine food web.
It was completely by accident that Chris Schvarcz and his colleagues discovered two new marine phytoplankton species. In 2014, Schvarcz was using phytoplankton cultures to study viruses as a Ph.D. student at the University of Hawai‘i. Over the course of his research, he noticed something unusual. Phytoplanktons, or diatoms, are usually not known to fix […]