This book is an introduction to diatom biology. It emphasizes the cell cycle, sexual reproduction, and ontogeny. The authors have provided a system of classification with many new taxa described at the family level together with 17 new genera.

In this volume twenty-three species of Neidium are described. Sample materials were collected in the Zoig� Wetland, an expansive network of lakes and wetlands located in Sichuan Province, China. From the total number of Neidium species reported, sixteen of them are described as new. 281 light microscope and scanning electron microscope photographs document all taxa and illustrate the morphology of these Neidium species. Detailed descriptions for each species are given and the species are compared with other, similar species from other regions of the world. The variability in valve morphology in the genus, including presence and distribution of renilimbi, longitudinal canals, central nodule and striation, are documented. A comprehensive table with morphometric details of all described Neidium species rounds up the volume. This survey of Neidium species almost doubles the number of new Neidium taxa described from China and is of interest for all readers working on diatoms and Bacillariophyceae.

This book presents a wide-ranging introduction to the diatoms together with an illustrated description of over 250 genera. Diatoms are important as perhaps the commonest group of autotrophic plants on earth and are abundant in all waters and on soils and moist surfaces. The introduction describes the diatom cell in detail, the structure of the wall (often extremely beautiful in design), the cell contents and aspects of life cycle and cell division. The generic atlas section is the first account of diatom systematics since 1928 (Karsten in Engler and Prantl: Die Nauturlichen Pflanzenfamilien) and each generic description is accompanied by scanning electron micrographs to show the characteristic structure. Most of the latter have been prepared specially for this work from the authors' own collections. The Diatoms will be the standard reference work on the group for years to come and is an essential reference volume.

This is the first book to deal with automatic diatom identification. It provides the necessary background information concerning diatom research, useful for both diatomists and non-diatomists. It deals with the development of electronic databases, image preprocessing, automatic contour extraction, the application of existing contour and ornamentation features and the development of new ones, as well as the application of different classifiers (neural networks, decision trees, etc.). These are tested using two image sets: (i) a very difficult set of Sellaphora pupula with 6 demes and 120 images; (ii) a mixed genera set with 37 taxa and approximately 800 images. The results are excellent, and recognition rates well above 90% have been achieved on both sets. The results are compared with identification rates obtained by human experts. One chapter of the book deals with automatic image capture, i.e. microscope slide scanning at different resolutions using a motorized microscope stage, autofocusing, multifocus fusion, and particle screening to select only diatoms and to reject debris. This book is the final scientific report of the European ADIAC project (Automatic Diatom Identification and Classification), and it lists the web-sites with the created public databases and an identification demo.

Readers of this Beiheft of Nova Hedwigia will find articles on a large variety of diatoms, from fossil to recent, marine to freshwater, established species and genera to new ones. Fifty-two authors have contributed to this volume by their diversity of interests. Topics range from morphology, taxonomy, ecology and distribution of diatoms found all over the world (from Europe to Russia and Asia, from the entire American Continent and even the Antarctica) and from past to recent. The variety of the papers presented in this volume reflects the diversity of scientific interests of Nina Strelnikova, to whom this Beiheft is dedicated. This volume is of interest for every scientist working on diatoms and interested in the variety of diatom research. It should not be missing in any library.

Diatom biology, genomics and ecology are becoming more relevant to the human species. While there have been recent compilations of some of the applied aspects of diatoms, and the dizzying pace of taxonomic revisions, this new volume bring us up to date on their classification, biology and ecology, as well as covering the topics of genomics and applied uses. In this collection, some of the leaders in diatom research present either new information or summarize recent research efforts on a wide range of topics, including the tree of life of diatoms, their classifications, the wide habitats and ecological spectra the group exploits, as well as the beauty of their form. This volume celebrates the diversity, emerging areas of research and fascinating ecology of the diatoms bringing this group of world-renown and emerging research leaders together. 'The Diatom World' will foster greater appreciation and research contributions on this incredibly diverse and fascinating group of organisms.