Final answer:
Diatoms and krill are essential players at the base of aquatic food chains, with diatoms acting as primary producers and krill being important consumers. Both contribute to the global ecology and carbon cycle.
Step-by-step explanation:
Diatoms and krill have several things in common, particularly their roles in the global ecology and their position at the base of aquatic food chains. Diatoms are a critical component of phytoplankton communities which provide essential nutrients to various heterotrophs, such as krill. Diatoms are known for their unique cell walls made of silica dioxide and are important in the carbon cycle by sequestering carbon dioxide that they have consumed during photosynthesis. Krill, while not primarily producers like diatoms, play a crucial part in marine ecosystems by consuming phytoplankton and transferring the nutrients from lower to higher levels in the food web.