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Tricking Tricho

November 30, 2015

New research by scientists at WHOI and the University of California, has demonstrated that Trichodesmium (shown here), a key organism in the ocean’s food web, will start reproducing at high speed as carbon dioxide levels rise, with no way to stop when nutrients become scarce. “Tricho,” as they are also known by researchers, is one of the few organisms in the ocean that can “fix” atmospheric nitrogen gas, making it available to other organisms. It is crucial because all life—from algae to whales – needs nitrogen to grow. (Image by Abigail Heithoff, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)