You may not have heard of them. You may not be able to see them with the naked eye. But diatoms—single-celled algae found in fresh and marine waters—are among the most important organisms we share the planet with.

Like their cousins, the land-based plants, diatoms convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into energy via photosynthesis.

“Every fifth breath we take we owe to diatoms,” explains Thomas Mock, Professor and marine microbiology expert at the University of East Anglia. Like land-based plants, diatoms store carbon in their bodies and play a significant role in “locking carbon” in the deep ocean. If you follow the ecological processes thereafter and far enough, diatoms continue to make their mark on human life in myriad ways.

Structurally speaking, diatom bodies are sort of like land-based plants, but with one key difference. “You can imagine that diatoms are similar to trees. They have a really strong bark, but the bark is not made of cellulose—the bark is made of silica,” Mock says. These silica-based cell walls give rise to some of the most beautiful, intricate forms.

Read the full story over at Canadian Science Publishing.