âI think weâve read every single book they have.â Mark chuckled. He still wasnât ready to put the children downâWill was hanging off of one hip, his hand on Markâs shoulder as he stoically looked down at Bridget, and Mabel had nuzzled into the crook of Markâs neck with a contented sigh.
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 (hydrated silicon dioxide) called a frustule. These frustules show a wide diversity in form, but are usually almost bilaterally symmetrical, hence the group name.
Diatoms like this one, Amphiprora sp., are one of several major types of marine phytoplankton. These microorganisms that live near the ocean surface and convert carbon dioxide into organic carbon via photosynthesis. They produce much of the oxygen we breathe and are the base of the marine food chain. They also play an important role in drawing heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the ocean.