ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Emiliania huxleyi

Emiliania huxleyi is a type of very small plant that lives in the ocean. It is so tiny that you need a microscope to see it! Emiliania huxleyi is special because it helps make oxygen for us to breathe. It also helps keep the ocean clean by using up carbon dioxide, which is a bad gas that can make the ocean too warm and hurt the fish that live in it.

Emiliania huxleyi looks like a very tiny ball or disc. It has a hard shell that is made of something called calcium carbonate, which is like the same stuff that makes up seashells. This shell is important because it helps protect the plant from bigger animals in the ocean that might want to eat it.

Emiliania huxleyi likes to live near the surface of the ocean where there is lots of sunlight. It needs sunlight to grow, just like how plants on the land need sunlight to grow. Sometimes when there is too much sunlight, many Emiliania huxleyi plants will grow very quickly and make the ocean look like it has a big green or white cloud on top of it!

Overall, Emiliania huxleyi might be very small, but it is very important to our world because it helps keep the ocean clean and makes oxygen for us to breathe.
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