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Mesoscale orchestration of collagen-based hierarchical mineralization
Chasing wildcats with my daughter
Kingdom-specific lipid unsaturation calibrates sequence evolution in membrane arm subunits of eukaryotic respiratory complexes
Ephemeral superconductivity atop the false vacuum
The adaptor protein AP-3β disassembles heat-induced stress granules via 19S regulatory particle in Arabidopsis
Domesticated rice alters the rhizosphere microbiome, reducing nitrogen fixation and increasing nitrous oxide emissions
The racial injustice laid bare by COVID must not be forgotten
Synthetic lethality of mRNA quality control complexes in cancer
Operando TEM study of a working copper catalyst during ethylene oxidation
Electrochemically in situ formed rocksalt phase in titanium dioxide determines pseudocapacitive sodium-ion storage
Unravelling the structure-stability interplay of O3-type layered sodium cathode materials via precision spacing engineering
Widespread occurrence and relevance of phosphate storage in foraminifera
Abstract Foraminifera are ubiquitous marine protists that intracellularly accumulate phosphate1, an important macronutrient in marine ecosystems and in fertilizer potentially leaked into the ocean. Intracellular phosphate concentrations can be 100–1,000 times higher than in the surrounding water1. Here we show that phosphate storage in foraminifera is widespread, from tidal flats to the deep sea. The total amount of intracellular phosphate stored in the benthic foraminifer Ammonia confertitesta in the Wadden Sea during a bloom is as high as around 5% of the annual consumption of phosphorus (P) fertilizer in Germany. Budget calculations for the Southern North Sea and the Peruvian Oxygen Minimum Zone indicate that benthic foraminifera may buffer riverine P runoff for approximately 37 days at the Southern North Sea and for about 21 days at the Peruvian margin. This indicates that these organisms are probably relevant for marine P cycling—they potentially buffer anthropogenic eutrophication in coastal environments. Phosphate is stored as polyphosphate in cell organelles that are potentially acidocalcisomes. Their metabolic functions can range from regulation of osmotic pressure and intracellular pH to calcium and energy storage. In addition, storage of energetic P compounds, such as creatine phosphate and polyphosphate, is probably an adaptation of foraminifera to O2 depletion.