Diatoms in Soil: A Hidden World

November 7, 2023, 8:00 MST, 10:00 EST, 15:00 GMT, 16:00 CET, 18:00 MSK

Moderated by Leena Vilonen

Carlos E. Wetzel is a researcher at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology. During the last decade he has authored and co-authored over 160 peer-reviewed articles regarding taxonomy and ecology of diatoms from many continents and environments, including rivers, lakes, soils, and marine environments. Carlos has been teaching numerous training courses on diatom ecology and taxonomy designed for biologists, technicians, and ecologists, contributing to the continuous improvement of the Water Framework Directive in Europe. His current project aims to show soil scientists the hidden diversity terrestrial diatoms and its potential use as bioindicators of soil conditions.

While numerous studies have focused on the ecology of aquatic diatoms and their use in assessing water quality over the past decades, much less is known about the ecological behaviour of terrestrial diatoms and their sensitivity/tolerances to environmental factors. In this webinar, he will explore the use of diatoms as indicators of soil condition by combining a traditional microscopic approach with high-throughput sequencing (HTS) metabarcoding techniques to show that terrestrial diatom communities can be used to indicate anthropogenic disturbance levels and soil fertility.

This approach could serve as a tool for implementing future policies while enhancing soil biodiversity knowledge.