Sarah A. Spaulding

Education
Ph.D. Graduate Program in Ecology (1996), Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO. Dissertation: Algal investigations at varying temporal scales in an extreme environment: McMurdo Dry Valley Lakes, Antarctica.
M.S. Biology (1991), Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO. Thesis: Phytoplankton dynamics under ice-cover in a subalpine lake.
B.A. Biology (1982), University of Colorado, Boulder CO

Professional Interests
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, US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division (2004 – present)

Visiting Assistant Professor, Ecology and Systematics of Diatoms, Iowa State University, Iowa Lakeside Laboratory, Milford IA (2000 - present)

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 - present)

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

Larson AM and Spaulding SA. Macroinvertebrate populations below a dam in Rapid Creek, South Dakota and relationship to the diatom Didymosphenia geminata. Journal of the North American Benthological Society (submitted).

Spaulding, S.A., McKnight, D.M., Stanish, L., Van de Vijver, B. and Hodgson, D. Diatoms as indicators of environmental change in Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic freshwaters. In: Smol, J. & E.F. Stoermer (eds). The Diatoms: Applications for the Environmental and Earth Sciences. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (submitted). 

Spaulding, S.A., Kilroy, C. and Edlund, M. Diatoms as invasive species. In: Smol, J. & E.F. Stoermer (eds). The Diatoms: Applications for the Environmental and Earth Sciences. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (submitted). 

Morales, E.A., Edlund, M.B. and Spaulding, S.A. Description and ultrastructure of fragilarioid diatom species (Bacillariophyceae) morphologically similar to Pseudostaurosira elliptica (Schumann) Edlund et al. Phycological Research (submitted). 

Pite, D., Lane, K., Hermann, A, Spaulding, S.A. and Finney, B. Historical abundance and morphology of Didymosphenia geminata in Naknek Lake, Alaska. Proceedings of the 20th International Diatom Symposium. (submitted). 

Kumar, S., Spaulding, S.A., Stohlgren, T., Hermann, K., Schmidt, T. and Bahls, L. 2009. Modelling the bioclimatic profile of the diatom Didymosphenia geminata. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment (in press). 

Esposito, R.M.M., Spaulding, S.A. , McKnight, D.M. , Lubinski, D. , Hall, B. , and Whittaker, T. 2008. Inland diatoms from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Botany (in press).

 

Whittaker, T.E, Hall, B.L., Hendy, C.H. and Spaulding, S.A. 2008. Holocene surface-level changes and depositional environments at Lake Fryxell, Antarctica. The Holocene 18(5): 775-786.

Bothwell, M.L. and Spaulding, S.A. 2008. Synopsis: the 2007 International workshop on Didymosphenia geminata. Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 2795. 

Spaulding, S.A., Hermann, K.A. and Johnson, T. 2008. Confirmed distribution of Didymosphenia geminata (Lyngbye) Schmidt in North America. Proceedings, 2007 International Workshop on Didymosphenia geminata, Canadian Technical Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 2795.  

Esposito, R. M. M., S. L. Horn, D. M. McKnight, M. J. Cox, M. C. Grant, S. A. Spaulding, P. T. Doran, and K. D. Cozzetto 2006. Antarctic climate cooling and response of diatoms in glacial meltwater streams, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33.

 

Edlund, M.B., E.A. Morales & S.A. Spaulding. 2006. The type and taxonomy of Fragilaria elliptica Schumann, a widely misconstrued taxon. Proceedings of the International Society of Diatom Research. 

Edlund, M.B. & S.A. Spaulding. 2006. Restoration of maximum cell size by uniparental auxosporulation in Scoliopleura Grunow and Muelleria (Frenguelli) Frenguelli. In: Ognjanova-Rumenova & Manoylov (eds.), Fossil and Recent Phycological Studies, pp. 211-223.

 

Spaulding, S.A., A. Akbulut & J.P. Kociolek 2003. A new species of Aneumastus Mann & Stickle from Central Turkey. Diatom Research 18:149-160. 

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. 2003. Freshwater diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) In: Goodman, S. & Benstead, J. (eds). Natural History of Madagascar, University of Chicago Press.

 

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.




 

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