How does a frustulia reproduce?

Frustulia, a genus of diatoms, primarily reproduces asexually through a process called binary fission, where a single cell divides into two daughter cells. Each daughter cell retains one half of the original frustule and forms a new half, resulting in two smaller but genetically identical cells. Under certain environmental conditions, Frustulia can also reproduce sexually, where two cells combine genetic material to form a zygote, which can then develop into a new diatom. This sexual reproduction helps increase genetic diversity within the population.