==== Diatoms ====

{{:diatoms02.jpg?nolink|}}

  * green algae (plants) with a siliceous shell – diatoms are the main primary producers in the world’s oceans
  * can be found as isolated specimens or as a “chain”
  * a mainly planktonic mode of life within the photic zone
  * geologic range: Jurassic?/Cretaceous – Recent
  * inhabit a range of aqueous environments from fresh water to fully marine
  * biostratigraphically significant in particular areas/intervals but subordinate to other fossil groups and therefore has relatively few practicing specialists

{{:diatoms01.jpg?nolink|}}

//Assorted diatom specimens. The diatom shell (“frustrule”) is commonly preserved in the fossil record as pyritised internal moulds.//