Megan Otu

My interest in the ecology of diatoms has stemmed from my training in paleolimnology. Diatoms have been a valuable indicator of environmental stress in these paleolimnological reconstructions. Previous projects have focused on the effects of anthropogenic activities and climate variability on aquatic ecosystems. I completed my MSc thesis on the recent eutrophication of Lake Malawi (East Africa), where the fossil diatom community composition responded strongly to increased sediment loading from the tributaries. I was immediately impressed by the large centric taxa Aulacoseira nyassensis, Cyclostephanos malaweinsis and Stephanodiscus mulleri from this African Rift Lake. I completed both my MSc and PhD at the University of Waterloo under the supervision of Drs. Robert Hecky and Roland Hall. Currently, I am studying the effects of reactive nitrogen deposition on alpine lakes in Grand Teton National Park with Sarah Spaulding, Jill Baron and Alex Wolfe. These quiescent high elevation lakes have an abundance of benthic diatom flora, all of which were well preserveed in these circumneutral ponds and will be the source of my contributions to Diatoms of the United States.