# How is nutrition extracted from silica encased diatoms by the creatures that eat them?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-nutrition-extracted-from-silica-encased-diatoms-by-the-creatures-that-eat-them/768587>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 15, 2016, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-nutrition-extracted-from-silica-encased-diatoms-by-the-creatures-that-eat-them/768587 "2016-10-15T10:20:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-nutrition-extracted-from-silica-encased-diatoms-by-the-creatures-that-eat-them/768587/1 "2016-10-15T10:20:47Z")

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Just curious. [Diatoms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatom)are encased in what amount to tough glass boxes. How do the creatures that eat them get nutrition from them?

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2016, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-nutrition-extracted-from-silica-encased-diatoms-by-the-creatures-that-eat-them/768587/2 "2016-10-15T10:28:00Z")

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The boxes are more like a porous lattice or framework. If they were sealed tight, the organisms would not be able to live inside them.