The first scientific collection of diatoms in Siberia was created in Irkutsk

The only collection of diatoms in Siberia (unicellular and colonial algae, whose cells have a protective case of silicon dioxide) was formed at the Limnological Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SB RAS). The collection can be used by researchers, it allows them to pass the stage of collecting algae in reservoirs, director of the Institute Andrey Fedotov said on Tuesday.

"We have completed the formation of a scientific collection of diatoms. <...> If someone wants to study speciation, do some experiments, he now does not have to go, say, to Baikal, collect diatoms, then grow them in a test tube. He'll just get a live sample already. The nearest collection of this kind is located in Moscow, in the Siberian region it is the only collection," said Andrey Fedotov.

It contains diatoms from Russia, as well as from Australia, European and other countries.

Diatoms live in fresh and seawater, in different ecosystems, including Arctic ice. More than 100 thousand of their species are known. They form the basis of the diet of many abodes of reservoirs. They are widely used in agriculture, can also be used as food additives, components of cosmetics. According to scientists, the value of diatoms is that they grow quickly and can accumulate useful substances even with a lack of nutrition in the environment.

In recent years, algae have begun to attract special attention of scientists, including because climate change has increased their blooming and led to the formation of toxic spots in the seas.