Integrative effects of morphology, silicification, and light on diatom vertical movements

ABSTRACT: Diatoms represent the most abundant and diversified class of primary producers in present oceans; their distinctive trait is the ability to incorporate silicic acid in a silica outer shell called frustule. Numerous adaptative functions are ascribed to frustules, including the control of vertical movements through the water column; this indirectly determines cell access to fundamental resources such as light and nutrients, and favors diatom escape from predators. At the same time, light guides phototroph movements in the water column by affecting cell density (e.g., by modulating Si deposition in diatoms, vacuole volume, and/or solution). We investigated how the tremendous diversity in morphology and silicification that characterizes the frustule and the crucial role of light in diatom spat

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PROVIDER: S-EPMC10087530 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature