Observe diatoms, microscopic sea organisms encased in silicified cell walls with intricate designs
Learn about phytoplankton, which include diatoms such as Navicula and Ditylum.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about the difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
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Created and produced by QA International. © QA International, 2010. All rights reserved. www.qa-international.comMinerals crystallize according to one of seven motifs, known as crystal systems.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.From teeny-tiny ants to 200-ton whales, all members of the animal kingdom are composed of cells.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Algae blooms can make lakes and oceans look like abstract paintings.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about phytoplankton's role as the oxygen-producing foundation of many marine food chains.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about zooplankton, such as copepods, rotifers, tintinnids, and larvaceans, that are examples of permanent plankton (holoplankton).
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about phytoplankton, plantlike types of microscopic algae that live suspended in bodies of water such as oceans. The term phytoplankton comes from the Greek words phyton (“plant”) and planktos (“wandering”). Examples of planktonic algae include diatoms and dinoflagellates.
Transcript
NARRATOR: Diatoms are one of the main components of marine phytoplankton.
Each individual diatom is encased in a siliceous shell composed of overlapping halves and marked by intricate designs.
Each individual diatom is encased in a siliceous shell composed of overlapping halves and marked by intricate designs.