Living Beings
    Source-identified Thalassiosira pseudonana; Source-identified documentary image; see the original file for method and context. Framed for display
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    Thalassiosira pseudonana.png · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Source-identified documentary image; see the original file for method and context. hor Philip Gröger, Nicole Poulsen, Jennifer Klemm, Nils Kröger & Michael Schlierf · CC BY-SA 4.0

    Field guide · species

    Thalassiosira pseudonana

    Hasle & Heimdal, 1970

    What does the authority mean?

    The authority credits the formal scientific description of the name. A year records publication of that description.

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    ThalassiosirophyceaeThalassiosiralesThalassiosiraceae

    Thalassiosira pseudonana is a centric diatom with a silica-based cell wall. Its genome helped reveal how a photosynthetic marine microbe acquires nutrients and constructs a precisely patterned external structure.

    Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

    Compare species
    Tree of lifeScientific lineage
    1. LifeLife
    2. DomainEukaryota
    3. PhylumBacillariophyta
    4. ClassThalassiosirophyceae
    5. OrderThalassiosirales
    6. FamilyThalassiosiraceae
    7. GenusThalassiosira
    8. SpeciesThalassiosira pseudonana
    Advanced classification

    Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

    1. cellular organisms cellular root
    2. Eukaryota domain
    3. Sar clade
    4. Stramenopiles clade
    5. Ochrophyta clade
    6. Bacillariophyta phylum
    7. Thalassiosirophyceae class
    8. Thalassiosirophycidae subclass
    9. Thalassiosirales order
    10. Thalassiosiraceae family
    11. Thalassiosira genus
    12. Thalassiosira pseudonana species
    Open in taxonomy explorer ↗

    Structure and identification

    Cells have the rounded symmetry typical of a centric diatom. Fine wall patterning is best examined with microscopy.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Habitat and range

    Marine aquatic conditions and appropriately supplied cultures support its photosynthetic growth.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Nutrition and metabolism

    Light drives carbon fixation. Silicon, nitrogen, iron and other resources are also needed; carbon supply alone does not ensure growth.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Biological activity

    Nutrient transport and metabolic regulation connect cells with fluctuating dissolved resources.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Reproduction and life cycle

    Vegetative division produces daughter cells and newly constructed wall material. Silicic-acid transport and wall-formation genes support this process.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Geographic distribution

    The reference genome comes from an authenticated strain. Related environmental observations need species-specific confirmation.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Ecological role

    Primary production and silica use connect its growth with aquatic carbon and mineral cycles.

    Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

    Distinctive adaptations

    The genome study identified genes for silicic-acid uptake and construction of a silica-based cell wall. It also found capacities for iron uptake, varied nitrogen use and a complete urea cycle. These findings link the distinctive wall with less visible nutrient-processing machinery important in an aquatic cell.

    Scientific source ↗

    Evidence

    Sources

    Connected life

    No reviewed ecological connections in the collection yet.

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