Diatoms – Revived After 150 Years!
Tiny, single-celled organisms known as diatoms are what make up diatomaceous earth. They have been studied for hundreds of years and proved to be amazing plants, serving various functions in both life and death.
Diatoms were discovered in 1702 by Anton van Leeuwenhoek, who thought they were tiny animals. Not until the 19th century did biologists conclude that, since these organisms perform photosynthesis, they are, in fact, plants.
Many years ago, in a June 1979 Edition of National Geographic, Richard B. Hoover published an intriguing article about his research on diatoms. Richard traveled the world, examining diatoms and collecting new species. Throughout his travels he saw and learned many things about these extraordinary organisms. Here is a summary of some of the most interesting points revealed in Richard’s report.
One of the most interesting discoveries mentioned in this paper occurred while studying a diatom collection in Belgium. Richard added water to diatoms that had been dried on paper in 1834. Much to his surprise, they were revived by the water and began to swim around after nearly 150 years!
There has been found to be more than twenty-five thousand species of diatoms, none of which have the same shell. They exist in large numbers in most bodies of water throughout the world. In fact, just one liter of seawater can contain as many as ten million diatoms! Diatoms are the most abundant type of phytoplankton, with the greatest numbers existing in cold oceans.
Diatoms: The Importance of Shape and Age
Each deposit of diatomaceous earth is different. They possess varying blends of pure diatomaceous earth combined with other natural clays. The diatoms in each deposit contain different amounts of silica, depending on the age of the deposit, and different deposits may even contain a different species of diatom all together.
The species of diatom found in a deposit is dependant upon the age and paleo-environment of the deposit. In turn, the shape of a diatom is determined by its species.
