This project will investigate the role of inorganic mineral surfaces in preserving glycans from microbial degradation in the marine environment. The working hypothesis is that abiotic factors such as glycan physical adsorption to mineral surfaces and biosynthetic immobilization of glycans in microalgal biominerals play a role in rendering phytoplankton bloom glycans less available to microbial degradation. A5 CRYST will investigate whether mineral association leads to the incomplete degradation of glycans, contributing to their long-term storage and the ocean’s capacity for carbon sequestration.