Researchers from the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI) in Pune have discovered a new genus of diatoms in the unpolluted waters of the Eastern Ghats mountain range.
Diatoms are microscopic algae that play a crucial role in our everyday lives, producing approximately 25 percent of the global oxygen supply— roughly every fourth breath we take. They form the base of the aquatic food chain and serve as valuable indicators of water quality due to their sensitivity to changes in water chemistry.
The genus has been named “Indiconema” due to its limited distribution within the country.
The research, published in the journal Phycologia, reports one species of Indiconema from the Eastern Ghats and another from the Western Ghats, highlighting the diverse biogeographic zones that support various diatom species in India.
India boasts a rich diatom diversity, with an estimated 6,500 taxa, of which 30 percent are endemic (restricted to a particular region), suggesting the country’s unique biodiversity.
The diverse biogeographic zones, ranging from freshwater to marine environments, sea level to high mountains, and alkaline lakes to acidic swamps, support a wide array of habitats and unique sets of diatoms.
The evolution of monsoons has played a significant role in structuring the rainforest biome across the Indian Peninsula, directly shaping the diatom flora.
The study’s findings suggest that Indiconema is closely related to Afrocymbella, a genus endemic to East Africa, further emphasizing the biogeographical connections between India and the African continent.