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#silica cell walls

2 public questions tagged with this topic.

Which group of organisms forms 'diatomaceous earth' due to the indestructible nature of their silica-embedded cell walls

Chrysophytes, which include diatoms and golden algae (desmids), have unique cell walls forming two thin overlapping shells that fit together. According to NCERT, these walls are heavily embedded with silica, making them practically indestructible. Over billions of years, diatoms leave behind large amounts of these silica cell wall deposits in their habitat, which accumulates to form gritty 'diatomaceous earth', used commercially in filtration and polishing.

Ref: NCERT Class 11 Biology > Chapter 2: Biological Classification > 2.2 Kingdom Protista