Читать книгу Diatom Morphogenesis - Группа авторов - Страница 13

Kalina Manoylov1* and Mohamed Ghobara2

1Dept. of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Georgia College and State University, Milledgeville, GA, United States

2Department of Physics, Freie Universitat Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Abstract

Diatoms are an exceptionally successful group of unicellular microalgae with a large contribution of global primary production in aquatic environments and contributing a significant amount of oxygen to both hydro- and atmospheres. They are fascinating throughout their life and even after death, thanks to their unique cell walls made from ornamented silica. The diatoms include centric species, which may have radial or polar symmetry, and pennates, which include araphid, monoraphid, and biraphid species. Several applications have utilized diatomite, i.e., the fossil form of diatom frustules. To date, many diatoms’ secrets have been understood; however, there are still more hidden. Thus, there is a need for more research on diatom basic biology and applications. Seeking this goal, more people should be encouraged to work on diatoms. Often novice researchers are overwhelmed by the terminology associated with the diverse morphology, the discrepancy between expected features for published descriptions, and the actual observation of those complex 3D organisms, which can be a barrier for more progress. Here, we provide a brief introduction to the beginners with a guide to approach the complex diatom morphology focusing on the tools that can be used for its study.

Keywords: Diatom morphology, tutorial, LM and SEM, frustule morphology