Diploneis Hoevsgoelensis Diatom
Diploneis is a large taxon of diatom with as many as 550 species. Among diatoms, it has perhaps the most complex heavily silicified valve structure. The fossilized remains of these unique algal species, extracted from sediment cores that reach down hundreds of years into a lake’s past, enable scientists to reconstruct the history of a lake’s water quality. The presence of different species says a lot about what conditions like nutrient load, water temperature, pH, and other key factors were, centuries ago.
The diatom Diploneis hoevsgoelensis was discovered in a province of Mongolia and is very similar to Diploneis bacillariophyta found in a Mawsmai cave in Northeast India and in Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is also similar to Diploneis linearifera found in fresh water lakes in Japan and Diploneis nitescens found in the saltwater marshes of Southern Brazil. Here in the United States we have quite a few species of Diploneis diatoms especially in the Great Lakes and the brackish waters along Long Island.
Copyright: Copyright: Field Notes, July 31, 2015, Greg Seitz
Copyright: Cheryl Safren
Department of Microbiology
