Diatom Genome Helps Explain Their Great Diversity and Success in Trapping Excess Carbon in Oceans

[Source: Deborah Daun, BIO5] – Diatoms, mighty microscopic algae, have profound influence on climate, producing 20 percent of the oxygen we breathe by capturing atmospheric carbon and in so doing, countering the greenhouse effect. Since their evolutionary origins these photosynthetic wonders have come to acquire advantageous genes from bacterial, animal and plant ancestors enabling them to thrive in today