Diatoms like this one, Amphiprora sp., are one of several major types of marine phytoplankton. These microorganisms that live near the ocean surface and convert carbon dioxide into organic carbon via photosynthesis. They produce much of the oxygen we breathe and are the base of the marine food chain. They also play an important role in drawing heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the ocean. (Photo by Dawn Moran, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)[back]
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