Editing Coccolithophore (section)

====Predator-prey interactions====
Their predators include the common predators of all phytoplankton including small fish, zooplankton, and shellfish larvae.<ref name=Hogan2009 /><ref name=Houdan2004>{{citation |journal=Journal of Plankton Research |volume=26 |issue=8 |year=2004 |pages=875–883 |title=Toxicity of coastal coccolithophores (Prymnesiophyceae, Haptophyta)  |first=A. |last=Houdan |doi=10.1093/plankt/fbh079 |display-authors=etal  |doi-access=free }}</ref> Viruses specific to this species have been isolated from several locations worldwide and appear to play a major role in spring bloom dynamics.

=====Toxicity=====
No environmental evidence of coccolithophore toxicity has been reported, but they belong to the class Prymnesiophyceae which contain orders with toxic species. Toxic species have been found in the genera ''Prymnesium'' Massart and ''Chrysochromulina'' Lackey. Members of the genus ''Prymnesium'' have been found to produce haemolytic compounds, the agent responsible for toxicity.  Some of these toxic species are responsible for large fish kills and can be accumulated in organisms such as shellfish; transferring it through the food chain. In laboratory tests for toxicity members of the oceanic coccolithophore genera ''Emiliania, Gephyrocapsa, Calcidiscus'' and ''Coccolithus'' were shown to be non-toxic as were species of the coastal genus ''Hymenomonas'', however several species of ''Pleurochrysis'' and ''Jomonlithus'', both coastal genera were toxic to ''Artemia''.<ref name="Houdan2004"/>