Abstract To date (1 November 2023), the online database AlgaeBase has documented
50,589 species of living algae and 10,556 fossil species here referred to four kingdoms …

Photosynthesis allows for the formation of biomass from inorganic carbon and therefore
greatly enhances the amount of organic material on planet Earth. Especially, oxygenic …

Microorganisms have inhabited the oceans since the dawn of Earth. Some of them have
organic walls and some produce mineral tests that are usually composed of carbonate …

Diatoms play a major role in carbon and silicon cycles, and thus diatom-bearing sediments
represent an archive of past climatic and environmental settings. In shallow-marine and …

The Cretaceous period is the time of the first appearance of the diatoms in the fossil record.
These fossils give us direct evidence of the age and early evolution of the diatom lineage …

Aim Biogeographers have believed for a long time that the geographical distributions of
protists are only determined by environmental conditions, because dispersal is not limited …

Paleontological observations of ancient flora and fauna provide powerful insights into past
diversity and relationship dynamics between organisms and their environments. Diatoms …

Endosymbiont gene transfer and import of host-encoded proteins are considered hallmarks
of organelles necessary for stable integration of two cells. However, newer endosymbiotic …

Protists are less studied for their role and diversity in ecosystems. Notably, protists have
played and still play an important role in microbialites. Microbialites, or lithified microbial …

Slab photonic crystals, nanomaterials characterized by periodic pores for manipulating light,
have applications in advanced optical technologies. Remarkably, similar materials have …