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Rocky Mountain National Parka photo of a girl at Sprague Lake
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Rocky Mountain National Park
Diatoms

While flowering plants ornament the landscape and are very visible at Rocky Mountain National Park, some plants are seldom seen. The tiny floating plants, called algae, in lakes, wetlands, and ponds in the park are virtually unnoticeable. They are very important, however, because they generate oxygen and provide food for larger aquatic (water living) animals.

Scientists are especially interested in one group of algae, the diatoms, because they are excellent indicators of ecosystem conditions. By studying the kinds of diatoms present, scientists can determine if acid rain is falling, if there are heavy metals in the water, if a lake is very productive, and many other things about the park's ecosystems.

Another bonus to diatoms is that their cell walls are made out of silica (just like window glass) and they can remain in the layers of sediments at the bottom of lakes for thousands of years. These sediment layers can tell us what the ecosystem was like in the distant past.

Diatoms Reported* from Rocky Mountain National Park


Scientific Name
Photo
Achnanthes holsatica  
Achnanthes conspicua  
Achnanthes laterostrata  
Achnanthes levanderi  
Achnanthes minutissima  
Achnanthes oestrupii  
Achnanthes rosenstockii  
Asterionella formosa
Aulacoseira alpigena  
Aulacoseira distans  
Aulacoseira distans var. nivalis  
Aulacoseira lirata  
Aulacoseira perglabra  
Caloneis bacillum  
Cyclotella stelligera
Cymbella hebridica  
Cymbella minuta
Cymbella naviculiformis  
Eunotia pectinalis var. minor
Fragilaria brevistriata
Fragilaria capucina  
Fragilaria construens var. venter  
Fragilaria crotonensis
Fragilaria pinnata
Fragilaria virescens var. exigua  
Gomphonema parvulum
Hannaea arcus
Luticola spp.
Navicula perpusilla  
Navicula pseudoscutiformis  
Navicula schmassmannii  
Navicula variosatriata  
Navicula vitrea  
Nitzschia dissipata
Nitzschia fonticola
Nitzschia palea
Nitzschia perminuta  
Nupela spp.  
Orthoseira roseana
Pinnularia biceps  
Pinnularia brebissonii  
Pinnularia nodosa  
Sellaphora laevissima  
Sellaphora pupula
Stauroneis anceps
Stauroneis smithii  
Synedra radians  
Synedra rumpens  
Tabellaria flocculosa
Tetracyclus emarginatus

 

* Information from:
An unpublished list supplied to the park by Alexander P. Wolfe, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta



Mama Cabin in the Holzwarth Historic District  

Did You Know?
The Holzwarth Historic District is a former guest ranch on the Colorado River. Open to visitors during the summer, the property features a dozen small cabins including the Mama cabin, named after Sophia Holzwarth, who ran the rustic resort.

Last Updated: January 11, 2007 at 14:29 EST