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

Chaetoceros dichaeta 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 C. dichaeta 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. Thus, the diameter of the chain is equivalent to the apical axes of the cells and is accompanied by a two order of magnitude decrease in minimal space requirement. Here, we report for the first time on the extraordinary overwintering strategy of a planktonic diatom in sea ice facilitated by its rapid morphological adaptation to changing environmental conditions. This morphological plasticity enables it to thrive in the confined space of the sea ice brine matrix and retain its numerical dominance in recurrent growing seasons and has likely evolved to optimally exploit the dynamic ecosystem of the seasonally ice-covered seas of the Southern Ocean.