Urban streams: What are diatoms trying to tell us?
How often, as we walk through cities, do we come across small streams and channels crossing the urban landscape? At first glance, many of these environments may seem like little […]
The hidden diversity of diatoms in the Canary Islands
If you grab a world map and look closely at the west coast of North Africa, just across from the sunny Sahara Desert, you’ll find an archipelago floating in the […]
Microscopic life on volcanic ice giants: diatoms of the Ecuadorian glaciers
Ecuador, despite its small size, is recognized as one of the most biodiverse territories on the planet. This megadiversity is expressed both in its biological richness and in the variety […]
When a familiar species is not what it seems
As an archipelagic country, Indonesia is rich in marine bioresources and biodiversity, including diatoms. Sulawesi, one of its largest islands, remains relatively underexplored for marine diatom diversity. To fill this […]
PART II: What happens when those we love start behaving badly? – the Didymo backstory
The scenario that the kids and scientists on Minnesota’s North Shore are studying exemplifies the problems that didymo has been causing throughout the world. Didymo seems to appear out nowhere […]
PART I: Solving childhood education, one diatom at a time – Didymosphenia geminata
Throughout the world, educators are struggling to support childhood literacy. For many scientists, our work takes us into the heart of areas that are facing these struggles. Why can’t scientists, […]
The Pursuit for Diatoms: An Undergraduate’s Journey into the Field
“These are diatoms. They have glass cell walls. They’re pretty neat— useful in forensics,” Dr. Christopher Tabit said to a class of undergraduate biology majors in the introductory Biological Diversity […]
Small organisms, big stories: we want to hear from you! Participate in Diatom of the Month
Diatom of the Month is a monthly blog series hosted by the International Society for Diatom Research (ISDR). Our mission is to create a channel for rapid communication among taxonomists, […]
Nutrient Dynamics of Lake Tanganyika Based on the High-resolution Diatom Fossil Record from the Southern Basin
High-resolution fossil diatom records from the southern basin of Lake Tanganyika, one of Africa’s Great Rift Valley lakes, provide valuable insights into long-term nutrient dynamics and ecosystem variability. As the […]
What endemic diatoms of the most ancient lake of Europe can tell us about deep time evolution?
In this post, Dušica Zaova explains what diatoms endemic to Europe's oldest lake reveal about evolution over time.
Crystal traps: the late Miocene Mediterranean evaporites and their hidden diatom content
When looking around for ancient sedimentary archives containing diatoms and associated microfossils, we immediately think about diatomaceous earth and related rocks (Zahajská et al., 2020). Hardly our attention is captured […]
Studying diatoms in the most remote place on Earth is not just a scientific curiosity!
Raquel Viso introduces us to the fascinating world of Antarctic diatoms—what are scientists discovering about these tiny but mighty organisms in one of Earth’s most extreme environments?
The Foulden Maar Diatomite, a terrestrial Konservat-Lagerstätte in southern New Zealand
In green fields grazed by sheep and cattle at Foulden Hills near the township of Middlemarch in Otago, southern New Zealand lies a small, inconspicuous diatomite pit which holds the […]
Cyclotella alvarniensis: Fossil No More?
Once considered an extinct Miocene diatom, Cyclotella alvarniensis has now been found in modern aquatic habitats, challenging its fossil status. This discovery opens new questions about its ecology, dispersal, and overlooked presence in contemporary ecosystems.
The hidden architects of aquatic ecosystems: ecosystem services provided by diatoms
Diatoms are more than just microscopic algae; they are key players in global ecosystems, providing essential services that support life on Earth.
