Silesian diatom
Achnanthidium silesiacum
The Silesian diatom is a microscopic, single-celled alga with a characteristic silica shell. As part of the periphyton, it primarily colonizes stones and aquatic plants in streams and rivers. The species is characterized by a heterovalvar structure, where one valve possesses a raphe for movement while the other is rapheless. It typically prefers low to moderately electrolyte-rich, often slightly acidic to neutral waters.
Details
Oxygen production
Produces oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis.
Habitat function
Colonizes substrates and stabilizes biofilms on stones.
Nutrient uptake
Absorbs dissolved silicates, nitrates, and phosphates from the water.
Food source for
Microherbivores (grazers) in the zoobenthos.
Ecology
Ecological role
Important primary producer in aquatic systems; forms the nutritional basis for grazers such as snails and insect larvae.
Natural predators
Protozoa, small crustaceans, snails, mayfly larvae.
Competitor species
Other diatoms of the genus Achnanthidium or Fragilaria.
Ecosystem service
Oxygen production and carbon fixation in aquatic habitats.
Threats
Eutrophication of water bodies, chemical pollution, and acidification beyond tolerance levels.
Scientific profile
Protection & threats
Main threats
Eutrophication (nutrient input), chemical pollution (herbicides), acidification of water bodies, and hydromorphological changes (channelization, impoundments).