Introduction to Bacillariophyta (The Diatoms)

Introduction to Bacillariophyta (The Diatoms)
University of California
Museum of Paleontology

The Bacillariophyta are the diatoms. With their exquisitely beautiful silica shells, or frustules such as that of Odontella shown above at right, diatoms are among the loveliest microfossils. They are also among the most important aquatic microorganisms today: they are extremely abundant both in the plankton and in sediments in marine and freshwater ecosystems, and because they are photosynthetic they are an important food source for marine organisms.

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