Diatom. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of an Actinoptychus species diatom. Diatoms are single-celled photosynthetic algae, of which there

---

Diatom. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of an Actinoptychus species diatom. Diatoms are single-celled photosynthetic algae, of which there are about 100,000 species. The characteristic feature of diatoms is their intricately patterned, glass-like cell wall, or frustule. The frustule often has rows of tiny holes, known as diatoms form an important part of the plankton at the base of the marine and freshwater food chains. Magnification: x5000 when printed at 10 centimetres wide.

---

Size: 4572px × 3959px
Photo credit: © STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: actinoptychus, alga, algae, algal, aquatic, biological, biology, botanical, botany, cell, circle, circular, coloured, diatom, eukaryotic, false-colour, false-coloured, flora, freshwater, frustule, heterokont, heterokontophyta, marine, microbiological, microbiology, mineralised, nature, photosynthetic, phytoplankton, plankton, planktonic, protection, protective, protist, protista, sem, single, single-celled, specialised, specialized, stramenopiles, support, supportive, unicellular, wall