Morphological adaptation of a planktonic diatom to growth in Antarctic sea ice.

Ehrenberg is one of the most important planktonic diatom species in the Southern Ocean, making a significant contribution to the total biomass in the region. Our observations on both field and culture material have revealed the existence of a specialized form of adapted to living in sea ice. This sea ice form differs from the planktonic form by the shape and orientation of the setae and the aperture length between sibling cells.