How do diatoms breathe. May 5, 2022 · Clams also consume diatoms, which are a type of algae with a hard shell made of silica. Mar 24, 2025 · As a result, diatoms can achieve higher internal concentrations of CO₂ than what is available externally, thereby driving more efficient photosynthesis. Now take nine more. In fact, they probably produce up to 40% of the oxygen on the planet, and they are a major component of plankton in the ocean. The CO2 is converted to organic carbon in the form of sugar, and oxygen (O2) is released. We breathe the oxygen that diatoms release. By fixing carbon or converting it from carbon dioxide into sugar, diatoms also reduce the Mar 1, 2021 · Surprisingly, the most important oxygen producers are not large trees but tiny algae that live in the water, and one of the most important groups among them are the diatoms. “The unseen microbial world underpins fisheries, climate, and the very function of ocean ecosystems, and we want to know how those ecosystems are going to shift in the future,” explains Dyhrman. With continued asexual reproduction, the average cell size of the diatom population decreases. They produce a lot of oxygen, about 20 to 50 percent of the Earth’s total, which is really important for us to breathe. ujrot1aqv0dqypbvjm2qjcu8q80gnabyyzrxbtzfuh