Desmids - Beautiful single celled algae

There are many different types of algae, differing in both size, shape, color, habitat and more. Some types are multicellular and very large like seaweed, some are microscopic and colonial like Eudorina, while others consist of only a single cell. Some of these are called desmids (desmidiales).

Desmids are highly symmetrical unicellular green algae which can take on many different shapes depending on the specific species. The desmids also vary in size between species, the smallest being only a couple of microns and the largest reaching a size of several hundreds of microns and are visible with the naked eye. Desmids are most commonly found in freshwater where several thousand species can be found.

The Dutch live with water

 Micrasterias Rotata and Papillifera | Motic AE31E inverted Microscope | Moticam HD stack

The Dutch have to live with water, because of their country lying below sea level for the greatest part. What does this have to do with microscopy?

Every year the Dutch are spending billions of euros in dikes, canals, rivers, bridges, locks, waste water purification, water quality monitoring, water research and innovation. Dutch water know how is being applied all over the world.

 Micrasterias  Papillifera | Motic BA410E upright Microscope | Moticam 10

A major activity is the continues monitoring of the state of the zoo- and phytoplankton in rivers, streams and other aquatic areas, in order to watch over the