Abstract
The diatoms interact with the environment through the siliceous frustule. The total area of frustule perforations determines the ability of diatom to exchange nutrients, gases and other matters. The aim of the present study was to estimate the area of perforations on the valve surface of a centric diatom. In the paper we describe a method for the estimation of the area of perforations on a diatom valve using SEM images. The method is tested on valves of centric diatom Minidiscus vodyanitskiyi Lyakh et Bedoshvili. The results show that the total area of cribral pores is less than 5% of the total valve area. This value is consistent with the relative perforation of land plants leaves, which is less than 3%. We hypothesize that such small valve area occupied by perforations is usual for many other centric diatom species. To verify this hypothesis additional researches are necessary.
Highlights
The diatoms interact with the outer environment through the siliceous frustule
If we examine the fluxes of material through the cell wall relying on the area of pores rather than the total surface area, we can improve understanding of relationships between characteristics of material fluxes and organism morphometry or discover new ones
The calculated number and total area of cribral pores is bigger than real ones, because pores do not perforate full cribra area but only a part of it (Figs 9–10)
Summary
The architecture of frustule determines the ability of a diatom to exchange the nutrients and the products of vital function (Bukhtiyarova 2009; Hale & Mitchel 2001; Pahlow et al 1997; Pickett-Heaps et al 1990). The area of a cell cover outlines individual contact space, where “physical, maximum energy and informative interaction, high interchange of substances are accomplished between individual and environment” (Bukhtiyarova 2013). When researchers estimate the surface area of microalgae, they do not take into account that unicellular organisms exchange matter only through the pores in their cell wall. If we examine the fluxes of material through the cell wall relying on the area of pores rather than the total surface area, we can improve understanding of relationships between characteristics of material fluxes and organism morphometry or discover new ones
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