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This site is under construction until about 15 February 2012,
so links will gradually be connected until then.
We expect to take down the construction sign on the 15th.






Diatoms are a group of unicellular, photosynthetic microorganisms well-known for displaying an intricate and wonderous architectural beauty. However, there is more to a diatom than simply its pretty face. As a major branch in the tree of life, over the past 200 million years they have evolved a complex mosaic of genetically based metabolic talents and generated a species diversity rivalling that of flowering plants. Additionally, diatoms have evolved to become global players in recycling life's critical nutrients, influencing the composition of the earth's environments and powering the planet's aquatic ecosystems, as well as elucidating their history.

diatom.org is a non-profit organization seeking to promote public awareness and appreciation of diatom ecology and evolution across a broad range of age groups by providing information about them and involvement in their scientific study. Explore with us.





About our diatom images

Above: Light microscope serial focus image of the glass cell wall of the diatom Asteromphalus from the
Bering Sea (specimen in Farlow Herbarium, Harvard University) and the 3-dimensional spatial distribution of elementally different metal atoms in a single cell of the diatom Cyclotella (the latter from M. D. de Jonge et al. 2010. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 107:1576. More >>).
  Vermont Lakes - a calendar and census of diatoms and other phytoplankters in the lakes of northern Vermont.

Lake Willoughby, Essex County, Vermont.		 Journal - original on-going online studies on fossil diatoms from the Baringo District of Kenya and the Menunketesuck salt marsh in Connecticut, USA. Marginalia - commentary and notes on diatom evolution and ecology and the history of their study.


This site last
updated on
27 January 2012

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