Researchers from the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) in Pune have discovered a new genus of diatoms in the unpolluted waters of the Eastern Ghats mountain range.
- The genus has been named “Indiconema” due to its limited distribution within the country.
Diatoms
- Diatoms are microscopic algae that play a crucial role in our everyday lives, producing approximately 25 percent of the global oxygen supply— roughly every fourth breath we take.
- They form the base of the aquatic food chain and serve as valuable indicators of water quality due to their sensitivity to changes in water chemistry.
- India boasts a rich diatom diversity, with an estimated 6,500 taxa, of which 30 percent are endemic (restricted to a particular region), suggesting the country’s unique biodiversity.
- The diverse biogeographic zones, ranging from freshwater to marine environments, sea level to high mountains, and alkaline lakes to acidic swamps, support a wide array of habitats and unique sets of diatoms.
- The evolution of monsoons has played a significant role in structuring the rainforest biome across the Indian Peninsula, directly shaping the diatom flora.
