View source for Compartment

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==Definition==
*''according to Hottinger (2006):''
'''COMPARTMENT''' - the lumen of the shell housing chamber protoplasm, communicating with other lumina in the shell by constricted passage-ways. Supposedly functions as a reactor receptacle for cell metabolism. A chamber may constitute a compartment or be subdivided into chamberlets that are units of a compartment. Compartments may have specific shapes. Tubular and isometric shapes do not occur together in the same taxon and may reflect different types of bioreactions. The volume of the compartment remains comparatively stable throughout growth but may be modified by the availability of food during the seasonal cycle. On the other hand, the number of compartments produced during one growth step may increase during ontogeny. Narrow passage-ways between compartments, stolons or foramina, may be temporarily closed by organic plugs, thus isolating the compartment's protoplasm from other compartments and in particular from the one containing the nucleus.

==References==
Hottinger (2006), [http://paleopolis.rediris.es/cg/CG2006_M02/index.html Illustrated glossary of terms used in foraminiferal research]. [http://paleopolis.rediris.es/cg/uk-index.html Carnets de Géologie], [http://paleopolis.rediris.es/cg/CG2006_M02/index.html Memoir 2], ISSN 1634-0744                                                              
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