14 January 1994 Lincoln Student Clarifying Classification of Antarctic Algae

A tiny Antarctic plant with a conspicuous role in providing some of the icy continent's rare greenness has drawn a Lincoln University researcher to the Ross Dependency on a scientific expedition.

Molecular biology doctoral student Lucette Dijkstra of Christchurch is in the Antarctic working on the DNA "fingerprinting" of green algae which grows in Antarctic freshwater and land habitats.

The recipient of a science award from the Ross Dependency Research Committee, Lucette's project is taking her to Cape Royds and Cape Armitage on Ross Island and to Granite Harbour.

The algae she is studying belong to the family Prasiola of which there are two species in Antarctica - P. crispa and P. calophylla. These both have several distinct "morphotypes" and the first aim of Lucette's project is to determine whether the morphotypes are genetically identical or, in fact, separate species in their own right.

"It's all a bit uncertain," she says, "and I'm hoping to sort it out through DNA analysis. As a molecular biologist I'll be looking at the DNA of the P. calophylla forms to solve the taxonomic problem of whether they are several species or not"

Lucette is also investigating if P.crispa is actually a morphotype of P. calophylla.

Lucette is collecting samples of Prasiola in the Antarctic and will do the DNA analysis back in New Zealand. This will involve about three months of laboratory work.

The whole project is one which Lucette designed herself in collaboration with Dr Paul Broady of Canterbury University's Department of Plants and Microbial Sciences and the help of Lincoln University's Dr Roy Bickerstaffe.

A keen outdoors person, who enjoys rock climbing, kayaking and tramping, Lucette has wanted to visit the Antarctic for a number of years and is excited that the opportunity has now arisen.

She has a B.Sc. degree with first class Honours in Microbiology and is studying for a Ph.D in Biochemistry with Lincoln University's Animal and Veterinary Sciences Group.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.