DIATOMS

The secret life of phytoplankton

I am working on a book with Prof. Sinead Collins all about phytoplankton. Working title: ‘The secret life of phytoplankton’. The book will be based on Sinead’s research at The University of Edinburgh. In her own words,

I use experimental evolution in freshwater and marine unicellular algae (Chlamydomonas; Ostreococcus), along with studies of analogous natural microalgal populations, to study how classical adaptive processes (selective sweeps, adaptive walks) are affected by environmental complexity. Complex environments may be those that change at different rates (glacial-interglacial cycles vs the current rate of global change), that involve many concurrent changes (changes in temperature and light levels and carbon levels), or that involve changes in competition and adaptation at the same time (changes in the species composition of communities on the same timescale as the evolution of a given species). Many aspects of this work are used, either in models or in collaborative experiments using marine algae, to understand better how phytoplankton populations may respond to global change.

It will be a very nerdy book with lots of pretty pictures. This is a little test piece which is almost certainly inaccurate but it is a rough approximation of how to prepare a slide for viewing DIATOMS under a microscope. Just trying to develop an aesthetic before I get into the nitty gritty detail.

Look out for more comic strips about phytoplankton and why they are cool. I promise these posts will become more and more accurate as we develop the book.