Phaeodactylum tricornutum is a diatom belonging to the class Bacillariophyceae. Diatoms are unicellular algae that secrete intricate skeleton made of silica. Diatoms play an important role in marine ecosystem, particularly in the biogeochemical cycling of minerals like silica, and for global carbon fixation. They can be found in both
More...fresh water and marine environments.P. tricornutum exists in three different morphological forms: oval, fusiform, and triradiate. Diatom researchers have established P. tricornutum as a model system to study diatom genomics. It is easy to culture and can be genetically transformed. It has a small genome size of about 30 Mb. The Joint Genome Institute is sequencing the genome of P. tricornutum. Less...
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