OPUS: RUI - Promoting and preserving the study of scaled chrysophytes with an emphasis on global climate change, evolutionary stasis, phylogeny and biogeography

Connecticut College, New London CT

Investigators

Abstract

Scaled chrysophytes are microscopic organisms common to all freshwater environments. Most species grow under very specific conditions, making them excellent indicators of environmental change and of the health of the environments in which they live. These organisms are so named because they form highly ornate structures out of glass, called scales, which are unique in design for each species. These scales accumulate in sediments where they can be recovered later and used to piece together the history of the water body. Study of scaled chrysophytes, including use as bioindicators, has been hampered by the lack of taxonomic resources available to new researchers. The primary objective of this project is to synthesize three decades of research on scaled chrysophytes from thousands of collections made along the east coast of North America, and archive corresponding materials from all samples in international museums. A synthesis of the data is expected to yield insights for new research initiatives on global climate change and for addressing biodiversity and evolutionary questions. Worldwide taxonomic expertise in scaled chrysophytes has significantly declined over the last decade, a fact that has undermined the importance and use of these organisms for advancing our knowledge of key environmental issues such as global climate change. In addition, unlike most groups of organisms, there are no museum collections available to aid new researchers. These facts provided the primary stimuli for this project, namely to develop a comprehensive guide to the organisms and simultaneously archive materials and specimens that directly correspond to the guide in internationally recognized museums.