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A. Spaulding My principal interest is in the relationship of environmental, geologic, and evolutionary change as seen through the lens of paleoecology, systematics, and biogeography of freshwater diatoms. My research goal is to understand the fundamental biologic, ecologic, and taxonomic relationships among diatoms in order to develop a refined understanding of the temporal and spatial distribution of diatom lineages, and ultimately how distributions relate to environmental parameters and evolutionary history. Diatoms are single-celled algae found in nearly every freshwater and marine habitat, and the 40,000 species currently known are only a fraction of the several hundred thousand species estimated to exist. Diatoms are organisms that are shaped by their environment and, in turn, shape the environment in which they exist. Because of this inseparable relationship, diatoms are tremendous tools in a number of fields, including paleoclimatology, ecology, geology, anthropology, and paleontology. Species composition reflects environmental parameters such as pH, temperature, salinity, nutrient concentration, hydrologic balance, period of ice-cover, and lake depth. Diatoms have great utility as indicators, and their robustness is increasing due to modern development of taxonomy and clarification of autecology. As a result, environmental signals that were previously missed are now being utilized, and my work is directed to reveal these refined signals from present and past environments. Employment Ecologist, National Wetlands Research Center, US Geological Survey, Denver CO (2004 – present) Visiting Assistant Professor, Ecology and Systematics of Diatoms, Iowa State University, Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, Milford IA (2000-2005) Instructor, Lake and Stream Ecology, Mountain Research Station, University of Colorado, Boulder CO (2003-2004) Research Affiliate, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder CO (2002) Research Scientist, Diatom Collection, Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco CA (1998-2001) Postdoctoral Fellow, Diatom Collection, Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco CA (1996-1998) Recent Publications Edlund, M.B. & S.A. Spaulding. Restoration of maximum cell size by uniparental auxosporulation in Scoliopleura Grunow and Muelleria (Frenguelli) Frenguelli (in press). Edlund, M.B., E.A. Morales & S.A. Spaulding. The type and taxonomy of Fragilaria elliptica Schumann, a widely misconstrued taxon. Proceedings of the International Society of Diatom Research (in press). Kociolek, J.P., S.A. Spaulding, K. Sabbe, & W. Vyverman. 2004. New Gomphonema (Bacillariophyta) species from Tasmania. Phycologia 43:427-444. Spaulding, S.A., A. Akbulut & J.P. Kociolek 2003. A new species of Aneumastus Mann & Stickle from Central Turkey. Diatom Research 18:149-160. Spaulding, S.A. & J.P. Kociolek. 2003. Freshwater diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) In: Goodman, S. & Benstead, J. (eds). Natural History of Madagascar, University of Chicago Press. Kociolek, J.P. & S.A. Spaulding. 2002. Evolutionary relationships, species concepts and implications of two disparate freshwater, fossil centric diatoms (Bacillariophyta) from western North America. Journal of Phycology 38: 821-833. Kociolek, J.P. & S.A. Spaulding. 2002. Symmetrical Naviculoid Diatoms. In: Sheath, R. & Wehr, J. (eds). Freshwater Algae of North America, Academic Press. pp. 637-651. Kociolek, J.P. & S.A. Spaulding. 2002. Eunotiod and Asymmetrical Diatoms. In: Sheath, R. & Wehr, J. (eds). Freshwater Algae of North America, Academic Press. pp. 655-666. Spaulding, S.A., J.P. Kociolek & D. Davis. (2002). A new diatom genus from a playa lake in New Mexico, USA with the description of two new species. European Journal of Phycology 37: 135-143. Stoermer, E.F, M. Julius, J.P. Kociolek & S.A. Spaulding. 2002. Centric Diatoms. In: Sheath, R. & Wehr, J. (eds). Freshwater Algae of North America, Academic Press. pp. 559-562. Spaulding, S.A., J.P. Kociolek & D. Davis. 2001. A new diatom genus from a playa lake in New Mexico, USA with the description of two new species. European Journal of Phycology. Kociolek, J.P. & S.A. Spaulding. 1999. Freshwater diatom biogeography. Nova Hedwigia 71: 223-241. Spaulding, S.A., J.P. Kociolek & D. Wong. 1999. A taxonomic and systematic revision of the genus Muelleria (Bacillariophyta). Phycologia 38: 314-341. Spaulding, S.A. & D. McKnight. 1998. Diatoms as Indicators of Environmental Change in Antarctic Freshwaters. In: Smol, J. & E.F. Stoermer (eds). The Diatoms: Applications for the Environmental and Earth Sciences. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. pp. 249-263. |
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