Diatoms of North AmericaWalking with diatoms
Description:
In this talk, I try to bridge the gap between “quantitative” and
“qualitative” views of freshwater biofilms. The “quantitative”
approach has proved very fruitful, giving us powerful methods for
evaluating stream condition and underpinning regulatory decisions.
However, the abstract view of stream conditions that this generates is
difficult to convey to the stakeholders who are expected to foot the
bill for improvements. For the past twenty five years I have been
using illustrations to place the empty silica valves that are the raw
material of most contemporary diatom analysis into context as elements
of living, thriving ecological communities. The original driver was
simply to help people who I was training to understand more about diatom
ecology. However, this subsequently broadened out into a means of
conveying the beauty and complexity of microscopic communities to wider
audiences. This, in turn, led to recognition of the aesthetic
potential of such representations in their own right but, also, into
using these as “thought experiments” for how diatoms and other algae and
Cyanobacteria interact in lakes and streams.
Intended audience: Freshwater ecologists with an interest in communicating science to non-technical audiences.
