Which Freshwater Diatom are You?

Quiz Questions

• 1.
  When do you feel most comfortable?

  • A.
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    I thrive in groups of like-minded people
  • B.
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    I enjoy alone time reading a book or listening to music
  • C.
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    I like both
• 2.
  Which do you prefer for a healthy snack?

  • A.
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    tomatoes
  • B.
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    broccoli
  • C.
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    cucumber
• 3.
  How much salt do you like on your french fries?

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  • A.
    Just a little... 
  • B.
    I need extra!
• 4.
  Do you ever steal your friend's food when they're not looking?

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  • A.
    ...Guilty
  • B.
    Never!
• 5.
  When you swim do you prefer....

  • A.
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    Diving to the bottom
  • B.
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    Floating at the top
  • C.
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    Both
• 6.
  What would you prefer to do?

  • A.
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    Exercise
  • B.
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    Watch a movie
• 7.
  When you find yourself in a tough situation, do you...

  • A.
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    reach out to others who could help
  • B.
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    try to fix it on your own
• 8.
  Where would you rather live?

  • A.
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    Answer A
  • B.
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    Answer B
  • C.
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    Answer C
• 9.
  Which best describes your personality?

  • A.
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    Unpredictable
  • B.
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    Pretty consistent
• 10.
  Which do you value more...

  • A.
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    Support
  • B.
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    Independence
• 11.
  Do you travel more in the U.S. or around the world?

  • A.
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    I travel more in the U.S.
  • B.
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    I travel more around the world
• 12.
  Which statement best describes you?

  • A.
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    I am easy-going and flexible
  • B.
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    I'm particular about my surroundings

Quiz Outcomes

• 1.
  Aulacoseria granulata

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  Meet your diatom twin Aulacoseria granulata! This small circular, aka centric, diatom is only 4 to 20 µm in size! This diatom, like you, believes in strength in numbers and relies on friends for support. It forms large colonies of interconnected individuals, called colonies, to increase their surface area to volume ratio, allowing these diatoms to stay suspended in the water column where there’s more light! This diatom doesn't have the ability to move, it is non-motile, and would much prefer a night in with a good movie.
• 2.
  Anomoeoneis sculpta

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  Meet your diatom twin Anomoeonis sculpta! This diatom is quite large (for a diatom) measuring 70-144 µm! Its football-like shape makes it the Hey Arnold of the diatom world. Like you, this diatom doesn’t mind a little salt, in the waters that it lives that is. You have other similarities as well! If it could have a healthy snack, A. sculpta would choose cucumbers or broccoli over tomatoes because it likes pH conditions close to neutral and can even tolerate alkaline waters. This diatom is motile, it can move, so it enjoys some exercise at the bottom of lakes and streams. It also values Independence, never forming colonies.
• 3.
  Decussata placenta

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  Meet your diatom twin Decussata placenta! This diatom has a unique aesthetic measuring at 24-50 µm. It has some similarities to you! If it could choose a healthy snack it would be tomatoes because it enjoys more acidic conditions. Like you, it is never selfish, it never steals their friends’ food because it can thrive in low nutrient environments! This diatom is moderately motile, it has the ability to move, and would probably choose some exercise at the bottom of lakes and streams over a good movie. This diatom values independence and prefers alone time, never forming colonies.
• 4.
  Cyclostephanos dubius

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  Meet your diatom twin Cyclostephanos dubius! This small diatom, measuring 8- 19 µm, is a circular, aka centric, diatom. It has some similarities to you! This diatom is non-motile, it doesn't have the ability to move, and would much prefer a good movie rather than exercise. It is also planktonic, meaning it goes-with-the-flow staying suspended in the water column where more light is available. If this diatom could eat fries, it would need some extra salt, because its halophilic. This diatom is also guilty of stealing its friends’ food; it demands nutrients! It is abundant in eutrophic lakes which have all the nutrients diatoms need. C. dubius values independence and alone time, never forming colonies.
• 5.
  Epithemia sorex

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  Meet your diatom twin Epithemia sorex! This diatom measures 20-33 µm and is a pretty unique diatom. Like you, it is moderately motile, often preferring some activity over watching movies at home (at the bottom of lakes and streams). This diatom likes alone time, as it never forms colonies but values and relies on support! It is a part of an endosymbiotic relationship with cyanobacteria! Cyanos can fix, or produce their own nitrogen. Nitrogen is a limiting nutrient for plants and algae; with a little help from cyanos, E. sorex can grow and thrive in even the most nutrient poor environments. Like you, this diatom prefers environments with lots of plants (like cladophora) and grows by attaching to them!
• 6.
  Hydrocera whampoensis

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  Meet your diatom twin Hyrocera whampoensis! This diatom has a very unique structure and measures about 35 -73 µm, pretty big for a diatom! It shares some similarities to you! H. whampoensis is non-motile, it doesn't have the ability to move, and would much rather enjoy a good movie at home at the bottom of lakes and streams over exercise. These diatoms love warm weather and are only found in the south, y’all. If this diatom could eat fries it would enjoy extra salt because it can tolerate environments with higher salinity, aka brackish water. Like you, it loves plants, namely red algae, and attaches to these plants for stability allowing them to thrive!
• 7.
  Terpsinoë musica

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  Meet your diatom twin Terpsinoë musica! This diatom is relatively large measuring 56-133 µm! Like you, this diatom is a world traveler. It loves warm waters in places like Uruguay, Guam, and Egypt! If it could enjoy a healthy snack it would prefer broccoli or cucumbers over tomatoes because it prefers more alkaline conditions. This diatom is non-motile, it doesn't have the ability to move, and would much prefer a good movie over exercise any day! Like you, this diatom likes to float in the water as well as dive; it can be both benthic and planktonic! This diatom goes with the flow, enjoys living on substrates like rocks, and probably listens to EDM.
• 8.
  Tetracyclus glans

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  Meet your diatom twin Tetrocyclus glans! This diatom measures 19-38 µm in size. It has some similarities to you! This diatom never steals food from their friends; they often live in clear, oligotrophic lakes where they can tolerate low nutrient conditions. Like you, this diatom prefers colder climates often living in clean lakes on the west coast, like Washington state. This diatom is non-motile, it doesn't have the ability to move, and would choose to watch a good movie over exercise any day! Like you, this diatom values support and grows on substrates like mosses and liverworts. If this diatom were a person, they would probably make their own kombucha.
• 9.
  Fragilaria mesolepta

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  Meet your diatom twin Fragilaria mesolepta! It has some similarities to you! This diatom measures 13-44 µm. It loves to travel and lives in most states across the country including Alaska and Hawaii! F. mesolepta is a generalist and tolerates a wide range of environmental conditions. This diatom is non-motile, doesn't have the ability to move, and would choose a movie over exercise any day! It likes both alone time and being in groups! They occasionally forms colonies which allow them to gain surface area keeping them suspended in the water column where there is more light available. Fragilaria mesolepta is truly go-with-the-flow!
• 10.
  Lemnicola hungarica

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  Meet your diatom twin Lemnicola hungarica! This diatom measures 8-40 µm and is a very unique diatom. It has some similarities to you! This diatom is non-motile and would choose a movie over exercise any day. L. hungarica prefers to be at the bottom of lakes and streams. This diatom likes alone time and values independence, never forming colonies. This diatom is pretty particular too, especially about where it grows. It gets its name because it only grows on duck weed or lemna. It is also heterovalvar, meaning that the two parts that make up their cell wall are different, so you could say they are pretty unpredictable.