Four diatom cells from a paddy field

The sample was observed immediately after being collected.

Four diatom cells are adhered to each other and standing still. Have they just finished dividing?

Commentary by Prof. Yuji Tsukii, Hosei University
This diatom belongs to the genus Diatoma. After dividing, the two daughter cells don’t separate but remain adhered to each other by their valve faces, and develop into a colony. The colony consists of a row of connected individual cells showing their lined girdle faces. To identify the organism at the species level, it is necessary to observe the pattern of the valve face.

http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/PDB/Im.....

Sampling Date : 22 September 2006

Sampling Site : KASHIMADAI paddy field  Google Map