Diatoms are a major group of algae, specifically microalgae, found in the oceans, waterways and soils of the world. Living diatoms make up a significant portion of the Earth's biomass: they generate about 20 to 50 percent of the oxygen produced on the planet each year, take in over 6.7 billion metric tons of silicon each year from the waters in which they live, and constitute nearly half of the organic material found in the oceans. The shells of dead diatoms can reach as much as a half-mile deep on the ocean floor, and the entire Amazon basin is fertilized annually by 27 million tons of diatom shell dust transported by transatlantic winds from the African Sahara, much of it from the Bodélé Depression, which was once made up of a system of fresh-water lakes.
A hemispherical combustion chamber is a type of combustion chamber in a reciprocating internal combustion engine with a domed cylinder head in the approximate shape of a hemisphere. An engine featuring this type of hemispherical chamber is known as a hemi engine.
Pasties are patches that cover a person's nipples and areolae, typically affixed with adhesive. Though pasties are commonly associated with strippers, burlesque shows and erotic entertainment, they are also, at times, worn as an undergarment, beachwear, or as a form of protest during women's rights events such as Go Topless Day that may avoid potential prosecution under indecency laws.
Navicula is a genus of boat-shaped diatom algae, comprising over 1,200 species. Navicula is Latin for "small ship", and also a term in English for a boat-shaped incense-holder.
Pāua is the Māori name given to three New Zealand species of large edible sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs which belong to the family Haliotidae, known in the United States and Australia as abalone, and in the United Kingdom as ormer shells. Pāua has entered English through common use in the New Zealand English dialect, and is both singular and plural, following the grammar rules of its original language.
Pinnularia is a genus fresh water alga more specifically a type of diatom.
A frustule is the hard and porous cell wall or external layer of diatoms. The frustule is composed almost purely of silica, made from silicic acid, and is coated with a layer of organic substance, which was referred to in the early literature on diatoms as pectin, a fiber most commonly found in cell walls of plants. This layer is actually composed of several types of polysaccharides.
Ernst Vilhelm Østrup was a Danish botanist and phycologist, mainly working on diatoms.
Hemendrakumar Prithivraj Gandhi was a pioneering Indian phycologist and diatomist. H P Gandhi did his primary and higher secondary schooling at Pratapgarh and obtained his intermediate degree from Agra. Later, he completed his Bachelors and Masters in Botany from the Wilson College, Mumbai in 1949, where he specialized in algae under the supervision of leading phycologist Prof. A. Ella Gonzales. Gandhi joined as an assistant lecturer at Karnatak University, Dharwar in July 1949 and very soon he was transferred unceremoniously to M N College, Visnagar in Gujarat, then to I Y College, Bombay, and after another short time period he joined Rajaram College, Kolhapur after which he finally returned to Karnatak College. With the bifurcation of Bombay Presidency, in 1956, Gandhi was again transferred to Gujarat. His keen interest in the subject made him to collect algal samples from all the possible places and habitats during these transfers, tours and botanical excursions. He retired, in the year 1980, from J.J. Science College, Gujarat from the office of Principal
Thalassiosira weissflogii is a species of centric diatoms, a unicellular microalga. It is found in marine environments and also in inland waters in many parts of the world. It is actively studied because it may use C4-plant style strategies to increase its photosynthetic efficiency.
Actinocyclus normanii is a microalga, a species of planktonic centric diatom. It is a marine species that is also found in brackish and eutrophic fresh water. It is considered an invasive species in the United States.
Bacillaria is a diatom genus in the family Bacillariaceae.
Eugene F. Stoermer was a leading researcher in diatoms, with a special emphasis on freshwater species of the North American Great Lakes. He was a professor of biology at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.
Petrophila canadensis, the Canadian petrophila moth, is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Eugene G. Munroe in 1972. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from southern Canada and the north-eastern United States.
Eunotiaceae is a family of diatoms in the order Eunotiales that includes the following genera:
Thalassiosiraceae is a family of diatoms in the order Thalassiosirales. The family of Thalassiosiraceae have the unique quality of having a flat valve face. These diatoms are common in brackish, nearshore, and open-ocean habitats, with approximately the same number of freshwater and marine species. Thalassiosiraceae are a centric diatom full of fultoportula. These can often be mistaken for Areola. These belong to many diatom families and can be found in different forms such as the different Areolae that can be found on Navicula or Gomphoneis known as lineolate and punctate. Unlike naviculaceae who are symmetrical in shape some Thalassiosiraceae take on being tangentially undulate.
Thalassiosira is a genus of centric diatoms, comprising over 100 marine and freshwater species. It is a diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotes that make up a vital part of marine and freshwater ecosystems, in which they are key primary producers and essential for carbon cycling
Skeletonemataceae is a family of diatoms in the order Thalassiosirales. There is currently only one known genera in this family of diatoms known as Skeletonema as reported from diatom.org. Being from the thalassiosirales order means that skeletonemataceae are centric diatoms.
Navicula festiva is a species of algae in the family Naviculaceae which occurs in North American rivers.
Cyclotella is a genus of diatoms often found in oligotrophic environments, both marine and fresh water. It is in the family Stephanodiscaceae and the order Thalassiosirales. The genus was first discovered in the mid 1800s and since then has become an umbrella genus for nearly 100 different species, the most well-studied and the best known being Cyclotella meneghiniana. Despite being among the most dominant genera in low-productivity environments, it is relatively understudied.
