Navicula vulpina

Though reported to be widespread in freshwater (Foged 1981, Antoniades et al. 2008), this taxon appears to display more of a circumboreal distribution as suggested by Antoniades et al. (2008). Verified reports from North America are from Alaska (Foged 1981, Hein 1990), Michigan (this page), Prince Patrick Island, Ellesmere Island, Ellef Ringnes Island (Antoniades et al. 2008), the Great Lakes (Reavie and Andresen 2020), the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, British Columbia, Montana, the Olympic Range in Washington, Glaciated Plains such as North Dakota, and sub-arctic tundra in Nunavut (Bahls 2021). Reported to occur in lakes, wetlands, streams and rivers (Bahls 2021).

In the Great Lakes National Parks (Edlund et al. 2011, 2012, 2013), it is common (1-10% relative abundance) in sediment core material from lakes in Isle Royale (Ahmik Lake), Sleeping Bear Dunes (Shell Lake), and rare at St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (Lake St. Croix) (Edlund et al. 2009).

Lim et al. (2007) presented a canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) for their assessment of communities in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in which it is shown centered near the origin indicating a generalist ecology. Michelutti et al. (2003) presented a CCA showing it to prefer rock substrates, tolerate moss substrates, and be intolerant of sediment substrates. Bahls (2021) reported this taxon to occur in cool alkaline waters with low nutrients and conductivity. Jaques et al. (2016) report this taxon to be associated with the coastal fen ecozone of the Hudson Bay lowlands, characterized by high pH, alkalinity, and conductivity, as well as high concentrations of dissolved inorganic carbon and ions.

Several research groups have used this taxon as indicator organism and published regional environmental optima and tolerances including:

Lim et al. (2001): Total Nitrogen (TN) - 0.716 mg/L, Tolerance – 0.209 mg/L for populations of Bathurst Island.

Lim et al. (2007): TN 0.546 mg/L for populations found on Banks Island.

Antoniades et al. (2008): pH – 8.0, tolerance range - 7.7-8.3, Conductivity – 98 µS/cm, tolerance range -55-176 µS/cm, Dissolved Organic Carbon – 6.38 mg/L, tolerance range 3.75-10.85 mg/L for populations from Prince Patrick Island, Ellesmere Island and Ellef Ringnes Island.