What are Diatoms?

What are diatoms?
Diatoms are a major group of algae and are among the most common types of phytoplankton.

Diatoms are unicellular organism, although they can form colonies
They have cell walls made of glass

Diatoms belong to kingdom Protista

There are at least 100,000 species of diatoms have been discovered,
Diatoms exist in large numbers in most bodies of water throughout the world. In fact, just one quart of seawater can contain millions of diatoms
They are primary producers and create and are a very large food source in the ocean


Diatoms are autotrophs and produce energy by photosynthesis.As a result,, diatoms need sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water. They are found in the ocean, fresh water, and even moist topsoil

Many Diatoms are microscopic, but some measure a millimeter across.

Diatoms contribute enormous amounts of oxygen to our atmosphere.

Two basic forms of these organisms exist. They are known as Centrales Centrales have radial symmetry and are most often found in oceans and are wheel-shaped. They can be found drifting near the surface, sunlight and absorbing nutrients.Pennales tend to be elongated

Many Pennales live in fresh water streams, swamps, ditches, or on the bottoms of shallow regions of oceans and estuaries.

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