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While flowering plants ornament the landscape and are very
visible at Rocky Mountain National Park, some plants are seldom
seen. The tiny floating plants, called algae, in lakes, wetlands,
and ponds in the park are virtually unnoticeable. They are
very important, however, because they generate oxygen and
provide food for larger aquatic (water living) animals.
Scientists are especially interested in one group of algae,
the diatoms, because they are excellent indicators of ecosystem
conditions. By studying the kinds of diatoms present, scientists
can determine if acid rain is falling, if there are heavy
metals in the water, if a lake is very productive, and many
other things about the park's ecosystems.
Another bonus to diatoms is that their cell walls are made
out of silica (just like window glass) and they can remain
in the layers of sediments at the bottom of lakes for thousands
of years. These sediment layers can tell us what the ecosystem
was like in the distant past.
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