Widespread occurrence and relevance of phosphate storage in foraminifera.

Foraminifera are ubiquitous marine protists that intracellularly accumulate phosphate, 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 water. Here we show that phosphate storage in foraminifera is widespread, from tidal flats to the deep sea.