Taxon Contributors
Contributors produce comprehensive documentation on diatoms, leading to consistent and correct taxonomy.
Diatoms.org provides analysts, academics, and students with tools for diatom taxonomy, nomenclature, and ecology
Federal, tribal, state and local agencies use Diatoms.org to monitor water quality and comply with the Clean Water Act
We aim to create a comprehensive diatom flora, accessible to everyone
Over 200 contributing taxonomists, from students-in-training to seasoned professionals, collaborate in producing an ambitious flora
Become a taxon contributor Learn more
Diatoms of North America is a collaborative work in progress, growing and changing as science advances.
Taxa by Morphology
New to diatoms? Jump into diatom identification using the visual key.
Editorial Review Board
Using diatoms in assessment? Specify the use of Diatoms of North America in contracts and task agreements.
What are Diatoms?
Diatoms are single-celled algae that live nearly everywhere there is water - streams, ponds, lakes, oceans, and even soils.
For practitioners
Taxon
Identification Guide
Genera
Classification information, citations, links and species listings for 208 genera completed to date.
Species
Identification guides, original descriptions, citations, autecological information and more for 1139 species and growing.
We encourage new contributors to submit taxon pages.
This project depends on many people to document the diverse diatom flora of streams, rivers, wetlands, lakes, springs, soils, estuaries and coastal zones.
Recent News & Projects
07 April 2026
WEBINAR: Planet Diatom: an organization to train, transform, and transcend
Planet Diatom: an organization to train, transform, and transcend Description: Diatoms play essential roles in aquatic ecosystems; they produce an...
02 April 2026
Diatom Web Academy 2026
Diatom Web Academy Spring Schedule 2026 We offer a series of live, online seminars. Join us and be part of the discussion! If you are not able to...
26 March 2026
How does diatoms.org differ from other important/valuable/commonly used online algal databases?
REPOSTED FROM 2021 Diatoms of North America (diatoms.org) is a collaborative effort to discover and document the diversity of diatom species across...
Diatoms of North America has been developed in part with the generous funding and support of US EPA, USGS, the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at University of Colorado Boulder and other organizations.
