Starch in the Oceans

Abstract

Starch observed in arctic waters of Canada, in the Baltic and Mediterranean seas, in the North Atlantic and Indian oceans, and in the waters about Bermuda, the Virgin Islands, and Jamaica is formed mostly in Gymnodinioideae, benthic algae, and higher aquatic plants and rarely in planktonic Chlorophyceae. In these phytoflagellates the fragile pellicle breaks when there are critical changes in salinity, temperature, or pressure and is subsequently decomposed by bacteria. The starch retains its shape after destruction of the protoplast, and accumulates in large quantities in aquatic habitats. Standing crops of free starch grains mark past blooms and mass mortalities of phytoplankton. The largest potato-like starch grains found in the oceans appear to be derived from the ocellar lenses of Warnoviaceae.Though Protozoa and various herbivores may ingest free planktonic starch, they were not observed to digest it. Large standing crops of starch and monosaccharides derived from amylolysis may affect nutrition in some animals, and influence the optical and chemical properties of sea water. Amylogenesis in some dinoflagellates starts from chondriosomes which are specialized in this process. In Prorocentrideae starch is formed within the ectoplasmic reticulum.