Trace-Element Incorporation into Intracellular Pools Uncovers Calcium-Pathways in a Coccolithophore.

Many organisms form minerals from precursor phases that crystallize under strict biological control. The dynamic intracellular processes of formation, transport, and deposition of these precursor phases are challenging to identify. An unusual situation is recently revealed for the calcifying alga , as the cells contain a compartment filled with a concentrated Ca and P phase but the final calcite crystals, which are nucleated in a different compartment, are P-free.