0 present participle of calcify --
1 to become hard or make something hard, especially by the addition of substances containing calcium: --
Corals and calcifying macroalgae such as coralline red algae and calcifying green algae are extremely sensitive to ocean acidification because they build their hard structures out of calcium carbonate.
These small living bacterial cells are distinct from the purported nanobacteria or calcifying nanoparticles, which were proposed to be living organisms that were 0.1 m in diameter.
This makes it more difficult for marine calcifying organisms, such as coral and some plankton, to form biogenic calcium carbonate, and such structures become vulnerable to dissolution.
Also, changes in the ecological success of calcifying organisms caused by ocean acidification may affect the biological pump by altering the strength of the hard tissues pump.
Organisms from many phyla produce calcium carbonate skeletons, so organismal processes vary widely, but the effect of physical conditions on water chemistry impacts all calcifying organisms.
While the full ecological consequences of these changes in calcification are still uncertain, it appears likely that many calcifying species will be adversely affected.
First, they are the earliest known calcifying organisms (organisms that built shells out of calcium carbonate).
Calcifying organisms use calcium carbonate to produce shells, skeletons and tests.
