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DIATOM
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Microscopic unicellular marine or freshwater colonial alga having cell walls impregnated with silica
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("diatom" is a kind of...):
phytoplankton (photosynthetic or plant constituent of plankton; mainly unicellular algae)
alga; algae (primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking true stems and roots and leaves)
Holonyms ("diatom" is a member of...):
Bacillariophyceae; class Bacillariophyceae; class Diatomophyceae; Diatomophyceae (marine and freshwater eukaryotic algae: diatoms)
Context examples:
"This study shows the interplay of nutrients and viruses on diatom populations in the ocean."
(Algae-killing viruses spur nutrient recycling in oceans, National Science Foundation)
The finding is important for understanding how diatoms influence carbon cycling and respond to changes in the oceans, including warming waters.
(Algae-killing viruses spur nutrient recycling in oceans, National Science Foundation)
Our study showed that when silicon levels in the ocean are low, diatoms can be more rapidly infected and killed by viruses, and are more likely to release their nutrients and other matter in the surface ocean instead of sinking, said senior author Kim Thamatrakoln of Rutgers University.
(Algae-killing viruses spur nutrient recycling in oceans, National Science Foundation)
