AI Article Synopsis
- Diatoms are crucial to phytoplankton blooms in aquatic ecosystems and play a significant role in the global carbon cycle due to their unique silicified cell walls, known as frustules.
- Research on centric and pennate diatoms indicates that these frustules serve as strong armor against predators, demonstrating remarkable strength attributed to their intricate architecture and silica material properties.
- The evolution of diatom frustules has likely influenced the dynamics between diatoms and their predators, impacting pelagic food webs and biogeochemical cycles.
Article Abstract
Diatoms are the major contributors to phytoplankton blooms in lakes and in the sea and hence are central in aquatic ecosystems and the global carbon cycle. All free-living diatoms differ from other phytoplankton groups in having silicified cell walls in the form of two 'shells' (the frustule) of manifold shape and intricate architecture whose function and role, if any, in contributing to the evolutionary success of diatoms is under debate. We explored the defence potential of the frustules as armour against predators by measuring their strength. Real and virtual loading tests (using calibrated glass microneedles and finite element analysis) were performed on centric and pennate diatom cells. Here we show that the frustules are remarkably strong by virtue of their architecture and the material properties of the diatom silica. We conclude that diatom frustules have evolved as mechanical protection for the cells because exceptional force is required to break them. The evolutionary arms race between diatoms and their specialized predators will have had considerable influence in structuring pelagic food webs and biogeochemical cycles.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature01416 | DOI Listing |
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