Yes, those beautiful and almost perfect structures we see there are, or were, living beings. Specifically, their names are diatoms and are a group of algae unicellular algae that can be found all over the planet. These algae are the ones that make up the majority of the phytoplankton which is one of the major primary producers and therefore plays a major role in the food chain.
These unique algae have a silica wall called a frustule which can have different shapes which allow their classification, so far more than 100,000 species of about 200 genera have been identified.
Diatomaceous earth
Diatoms are widely distributed all over the planet, and it is because they appeared in the early Jurassic. This early appearance meant that with the movement of the continents, large land masses that were previously submerged were exposed on the surface. These land masses contained the fossils of thousands of diatoms that were deposited over the years, giving rise to diatomaceous earth, which is a siliceous rock formed by the fossilised diatom frustules.
Applications of diatoms
Diatomaceous earth has many uses, the main ones being as a fertiliser, insecticide, feed additive and even in the purification of DNA.
These frustules are also used in forensic medicine in order to determine the cause and site of death, as analysis of the diatoms found on the body and in the water where it is found can provide highly reliable evidence as to whether or not the body died at that location, even if it died before or after falling into the water.
Diatomology in Spain
In Spain in 2018, the creation of the first diatomology laboratory was approved at the Instituto de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Biodiversity of the University of León, the diatomology laboratory directed by Dr. Eloy Bécares, is made up of experts on taxonomy, ecology y biogeography of continental and marine diatoms with more than 10 years of experience. Among their applications, they perform:
- Water quality analysis using diatoms. Calculation of biological indices based on diatoms.
- Application of the Water Framework Directive (phytobenthic indicators) in rivers, lakes and coastal ecosystems. Carrying out technical surveys and reports.
- Identification of marine and freshwater diatoms (brightfield optical microscopy and phase contrast). Image analysis. Morphometric geometry.
- Production of floristic inventories, illustrated catalogues, atlases and identification guides. Biodiversity studies.
- Quality control. Inter-laboratory intercalibration tests.
Diatoms and art
Klaus Kemp, the self-styled “diatoms and art”.diatomist“is the only active person who uses the forms of the skeleton silica skeleton of these algae to create microscopic works of art. Since he first saw a diatom at the age of 16, he has devoted his entire life to discovering, collecting and artistically mounting diatoms.
Here are some of his creations.
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