Abstract Detail

Floristics & Taxonomy

Fucikova, Karolina [1], Kessinger, Evan [2], Norman, Emily [2], Hall, John [3].

Desmids of selected New England ponds – a comparison to historical data.

Desmids are a group of morphologically diverse freshwater algae, which have previously been suggested as habitat quality indicators. In the present study we used early-to-mid 20^th century floristic data from three New England ponds in an attempt to document changes in these ponds over the last 100 years. We curated the historical data to compile the desmid floras of the ponds in a way that is readily compared to our findings from the same ponds from 2017-2019. We have found evidence of drastic decline in desmid diversity and habitat quality in two of the ponds, but also remarkable, previously undocumented diversity in Hawley Bog in Western MA. Additionally, we note the first record of Micrasterias brachyptera from New England. To aid future floristic efforts, we provide our species records and images in a public repository, the citizen-science database iNaturalist.

1 - Assumption College, Biological And Physical Sciences, 500 Salisbury St., Testa 252, Worcester, MA, 01609, United States
2 - Assumption College, 500 Salisbury St., Testa 252, Worcester, MA, 01609, United States
3 - PSLA, 398 Regents Drive, Research Greenhouse Complex, College Park, MD, 20742, United States

Keywords:
algae
Biodiversity
desmid
plankton
Ecology
habitat
periphyton
wetland.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: FT1, Floristics & Taxonomy I
Location: Virtual/Virtual
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2020
Time: 11:45 AM
Number: FT1FT008
Abstract ID:552
Candidate for Awards:None