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DIATOMA is a genus of benthic diatoms found worldwide.

It is also an official business of Adelaide Research & Innovation of The University of Adelaide, Australia, that principally undertakes diatom-based research and environmental consulting on streams and lakes throughout Australia. We are also associated with research programs in Brazil, England, France, Thailand and Turkey.

Diatoms are ideal for biomonitoring purposes as they occur in very high numbers, are sensitive to changes in water chemistry, are easily collected from the field site and transported to the laboratory and can be readily identified to species level. Diatoms often have narrow windows of tolerance to pH, nutrients or salinity which have been widely studied and defined.

DIATOMA offers services which include:

The establishment of BASELINE CONDITIONS from fossilised diatom communities through the use of transfer functions
IMPACT ASSESSMENT comparing pre- and post development, or upstream and downstream, diatom assemblages
BIOMONITORING of seasonal changes or recovery after rehabilitation

We offer cost-effective preparation, analysis and interpretation of samples sent to DIATOMA. For DIY diatom biomonitoring we offer image analysis, image capturing capabilities, identification guides and taxonomic identification support.

In a broader ecological sense, DIATOMA is also able to offer research and consultancies in several other fields.

These include:

BIOMONITORING water quality, including sediment and pollution tracing
REVEGETATION planning for aquatic and biotic environments

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