As a limiting nutrient in large oceanic regions, dissolved iron (Fe) in seawater is mostly complexed by organic ligands, yet the uptake and utilization of organically bound Fe by marine phytoplankton are not fully understood. Here, we found that under Fe-limited conditions the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi may release potential Fe chelating ligands (PLs) to culture medium. Additions of these PLs were found to increase the rates of Fe uptake and growth of Fe-limited E. huxleyi. In contrast, the rates remained unaffected with adding PLs collected from the Fe-sufficient coccolithophore. Additionally, PLs collected from Fe-limited culture medium of E. huxleyi decreased the Fe uptake and growth rates of the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii, suggesting that the beneficial effect of PLs on algal Fe utilization is likely species-specific. Overall, our study demonstrates that E. huxleyi could use a specific Fe uptake strategy by releasing PLs to facilitate Fe acquisition under Fe-limited conditions, which may represent a potentially novel Fe uptake pathway in eukaryotic phytoplankton.