Hello up there!

Wow, we really learned a lot from your last answer! We never knew that diatoms reproduce TWO ways. Thank you so much because it helps us understand more about the ways living things survive and adapt to change. Here comes another question...

So we just learned that chloroplasts have their own DNA, and that mitochondria have their own DNA. We think that mitochondria have the DNA so that they can adapt to changes in making energy, so much faster than regular chromosomal DNA. We are beginning to think that maybe chloroplast DNA might be related to changes in the amount of carbon dioxide and the ability to use more/less carbon dioxide according to the levels in the ocean or atmosphere. What do your scientists say about the presence of chloroplast DNA?

We send a big HELLO! to Dr. David Shull who we know from previous Healy missions. Here's a question for him. Has he and his team found any changes in the sampling of the mud from 2007 to today?

warmly, Mrs. P and her students

Simone Welch

Sorry for the delay in response- usy times on the Healy! :) 
Only through viruses or lateral gene transfer can DNA be gained or lost. Just because something has a coding for something in its DNA doesn't mean that it is using it all the time.  Acclimation ia the  turning on and off of this genetic material as needed in response to a stimulus and adaptation is actually the loss of genetic lineages- evolution.  All this information is, again, brought to us by Mike Lomas.  He's a pretty smart dude.
David says "Hi Maggie!"  He says, that not much has changed with the mud. It's still sandy inshore and to the south, muddy offshore and to the north.  More animals to the north- just like in 2007!
Hope this answers your questions!
S