Silica Uptake, Assimilation, and Metabolism: Making Cell Walls

Silica is fundamental to the growth of diatoms but is widely found across many algal groups that have a diverse and complex suite of Si structures. This chapter addresses metabolism and silicification and reviews some of the methods available for measuring silica uptake. Lastly, this chapter looks at how silica metabolism may be impacted by changing silica export and changing the availability of other key nutrients.