Raphe (diatoms)
The raphe is a gap-shaped, often complex built breakthrough in the shells of diatoms -order Pennales . It extends along the cell axis (apical axis) and lies in the middle of the shell or raised on a special sapphire quill, which can also run along the edge of the shell. It creates a connection between the cytoplasm and the surrounding medium and serves as a movement organ , with the help of which diatoms can move at speeds of over 20 µm / second. However, active motility is not observed in all diatoms that bear sapphires.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Raphe. In: Lexicon of Biology. Retrieved December 10, 2017 .
- ^ Gustav Lindau, Hans Melchior: The algae . Springer-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-642-99255-1 , p. 27 ff . ( limited preview in Google Book search).