Hidden Diversity in Pinnularia borealis, and Where it Lives
When we think about diatoms, we tend to imagine all kinds of aquatic habitats, ranging from oceans and coastal ecosystems, to lakes, rivers, ponds and puddles. However, soils and terrestrial […]
Food vs. Sex
**Spoiler: read the entire post before feeling attracted of scrolling down to watching the cool movies of Seminavis movement in the videos section** I am a microbe psychologist, a description […]
What is behind a name? Cutting a long story short: how one of the most common Gomphonema species turned out to be – not a Gomphonema!
Around 2005 we, the Diatom Research Group at the BGBM Berlin, cooperated with colleagues from the Georg-August-University Göttingen who wanted to identify diatoms and cyanobacteria using a predecessor method, today […]
Melosira westii
This month’s diatom story revolves around a centric species that tells us about a fascinating sea level change saga over the course of millennia. A thirteenth century story known as […]
50/50
Just over a year ago I had a stroke. It affected my speech and several times a day the nurse or therapist would check on my progress and have me […]
Antarctic diatom growth in a light- and iron-limited environment
Phytoplankton are the primary producers in marine and freshwaters and key components of ecological food webs. Their growth is often shaped by the presence of important resources, such as light, […]
Introducing the Diatom Web Academy, first of its name (that I know of)!
I currently have the fun and exciting role of serving as chair of the Society for Freshwater Science’s Diatom Taxonomic Certification Committee. The biggest motivation for this group is to […]
Decade in Review
Since our last post we welcomed in a new year and a new decade, so we want to take the opportunity to reflect on some of the great diatom science […]
Year in Review
December’s Diatom of the Month marks our 50th blog post! Thank you all for your continued support. This month we are reflecting on the past year and looking forward to […]
You
November’s Diatom of the Month is you. Aka Diatoma readerii (Fig. 1). Figure 1. Diatoma readerii. In reality, blogger and co-editor Nick Schulte dressed as the diatom he wishes he […]
Nitzschia fenestralis
How do you define a new species of Nitzschia? An example from an Ethiopian crater lake Around 50 km south east of the hectic Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) is a group […]
Cyclotella paleo-ocellata
A palaeoecological tale of Cyclotella paleo-ocellata from Lake Kinneret.
Diatom blooms and their effects on human health
Humans have long benefited from algae in many ways; from breathing the oxygen released during photosynthesis or consuming algae and organisms that feed on algae, to using their components and […]
