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Calcification in aquatic plants
Author(s) -
BOROWITZKA MICHAEL A.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3040.1984.tb01436.x
Subject(s) - calcification , photosynthesis , assimilation (phonology) , chemistry , nucleation , botany , biophysics , environmental chemistry , biology , medicine , linguistics , philosophy , pathology , organic chemistry
. The CaCO 3 deposits of aquatic plants may be intra‐, inter‐ and extracellular. Calcification is mainly the result of photosynthetic CO 2 or HCO − 3 assimilation. This raises the local pH and CO 2− 3 concentration resulting from shifts in the dissolved inorganic carbon equilibrium, due to either net CO 2 depletion as in Halimeda or localized OH − efflux (or H + influx) as in Chara. The plant cell wall may be important in CaCO 3 nucleation by acting as an epitaxial substratum or template, or by creating a microenvironment enriched in Ca 2+ compared to Mg 2+ . Hypotheses on the reason for the lack of calcification in many aquatic plants are presented.