algae

Underwater, however, certain algae have evolved a unique way to stay protected.

Ammonium not only helps these bacteria thrive but also nourishes algae and, by extension, the creatures that depend on them.

Writing in the journal JACS, the researchers describe how this innovation makes it possible to observe the microscopic competition between algae and the microbes that consume their sugars in the ocean.

When stressed in hotter ocean waters, corals expel the microscopic algae that provides their distinct colour and food source.

These tiny algae remove carbon from seawater, release oxygen, and create delicate calcite plates that eventually sink to the ocean floor.