This stabilising feedback is part of wider pattern whereby phytoplankton removal keeps certain elements at anomalously low concentrations in seawater (click here for further explanation).

Other related pages

Silicon-phosphorus model overview
Silicon-phosphorus model details
Silicon-phosphorus model pros
Silica burp hypothesis
Silicon-phosphorus model worksheet

References

Yool, A. & Tyrrell, T. (2003). Role of diatoms in regulating the ocean's silicon cycle. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 17, 1103, doi:10.1029/2002GB002018.

External links

Homeostasis

Dynamic Equilibrium

Description of the chemical element silicon

Description of the silicon cycle