Diatoms

Book excerpt: Introduction to microscopic plants, diatoms, that live all over the world from the seas of Antarctica to the soil in your backyard. These small, one-celled plants are in a group called algae. One of the most special parts of a diatom is its skin; it is not soft but made of glass! Diatoms use energy from the sun to create food through the photosynthesis process. The food looks like small drops of oil. Diatoms are very important to life here on earth because they are the beginning of the food chain; diatoms create the food, insects eat diatoms, fish eat insects, people eat fish! They could be a source of fuel and solar energy in the future.