DIATOM

Diatom

Diatoms are a major group of algae, and are among the most common types of phytoplankton. Most diatoms are unicellular, although they can exist as colonies in the shape of filaments or ribbons, fans, zigzags, or stars . Diatoms are producers within the food chain. A unique feature of diatom cells is that they are enclosed within a cell wall made of silica called a frustule. These frustules show a wide diversity in form, but are usually almost bilaterally symmetrical, hence the group name. The symmetry is not perfect since one of the valves is slightly larger than the other allowing one valve to fit inside the edge of the other. Fossil evidence suggests that they ...

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diatom

Noun

  1. A group of minute unicellular algae having a siliceous covering of great delicacy, now categorized as class ' or division Bacillariophyta, formerly all included in the order ', now obsolete.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: diatom
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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