Biology of Diatoms

[Diatoms in the diagnosis of drowning. I. Biology of diatoms].

Molecular biology and the biotechnological potential of diatoms.

Diatoms are unicellular photoautotrophic eukaryotes that play an important role in ecology by fixing large amounts of CO2 in the oceans. Because they evolved by secondary endocytobiosis--a process of uptake of a eukaryotic alga into another eukaryotic cell--they have a rather unusual cell biology and genetic constitution. Diatoms are also of biotechnological interest since they produce highly u...

Epipsammic diatoms of diatoms of Kelkit Creek (Tokat/Turkey)

In this study, diatoms in epipsammic samples, which were taken from two stations selected in Kelkit Creek (Tokat/Turkey) between March and December 2018, were analyzed. During the study, a total of 25 taxa belonging to diatoms were recorded. The diatom species represented by the highest number of taxa were Cymbela (4 taxa), Nitzschia (4 taxa), and Navicula (3 taxa). Sorensen similarity index be...

The mysteries of the diatoms

Understanding the physiology of these unique and spectacularly successful algal species could lead to substantial benefits in a wide range of areas from nanotechnology to climate change. Michael Gross reports.

Cell coatings of surf diatoms

Many sandy beach surf-zones support characteristic accumulations of diatom cells appearing as dark brown patches at the water surface. These diatoms become buoyant during the day, adhering to air bubbles generated by wave action. This, together with water circulation patterns generated by rip currents results in the accumulation of diatoms. By late afternoon the cells lose buoyancy and the accu...