This award was established by the British Phycological Society in recognition of Hilda Canter-Lund, whose stunning photographs will be known to many members. Her photomicrographs of freshwater algae combined high technical and aesthetic qualities whilst still capturing the quintessence of the organisms she was studying.
Congratulations to all that made the shortlist, the competition was strong this year, and the BPS thanks everyone who submitted images and voted for their favorites.
2022 Winners
Julia Van Etten “Green with algae”
Julia Van Etten is a Ph.D. candidate in the Bhattacharya lab at Rutgers University (USA). For her research, she mainly studies the evolution of polyextremophily in the Cyanidiophyceae, an ancient group of red algae. Outside of the lab she spends her free time finding and photographing protists and other microscopic or small organisms for her multimedia project “Couch Microscopy”, which has gained a large social media following and has been featured by many news outlets over the years. She is most passionate about communicating all aspects of algal biology to the public and loves to engage with other phycologists!
This is an image of many organisms, the animal Hydra viridissima (a freshwater cnidarian) and thousands of symbiotic Chlorella vulgaris cells (a green alga) that give the animal its vibrant green color! More than that, the algae provide products of photosynthesis to the hydra to give it the energy to survive when prey is scarce. In exchange, the hydra provides the algae with a safe and stable environment for long periods of time. Many algae are part of symbioses that are vital to the function of communities and ecosystems. Although we can’t see the individual algal cells in this photo, we can still see their impact. This image was taken with an Amscope T340B microscope and MU120 camera, at 20x total magnification, darkfield. The hydra itself was about 3mm long in this photo and at least twice that length when its tentacles were fully extended.
Lucie Novoveska: “Frozen bubbles“
Lucie is a self-proclaimed algae nerd. She is passionate about applying her algae background in the biotechnology. Lucie earned her PhD from Dauphin Island Sea Lab (USA) in 2011 and since worked in 4 biotech companies in the USA and UK. Lucie is an associate editor for Journal of Applied Phycology, work group leader for EU COST action Ocean4Biotech and number one fan of Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (Oban). In her spare time, Lucie is a keen tennis player, she drives anything electric and enjoys making movies and getting people excited about phycology.
This is a photograph of a frozen rock pool by Dunstaffnage castle in Scotland. During our lunch break in February, we wandered around the beach and noticed that not only the rock pools are frozen but that there are bigger bubbles around oxygen-producing Ulva spp. The sudden freeze locked everything in place (including photosynthesis).
2022 Highly Commended
Abbey Dias: “Future of Underwater Forests“
A ripe sorus sinks to the ocean floor, promising a future for underwater forests. Through a complicated lifecycle called alternation of generations, this reproductive package of spores will eventually grow into bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) and begin the process all over again. This photo was shot in a mixed forest of N. luetkeana and giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) in Monterey, California.
As a result of climate impacts and urchin overgrazing, kelp forests are facing severe decline (90% loss) along the California coast. The future of these underwater forests may depend on human intervention. I am a graduate student studying N. luetkeana restoration in northern California, USA. My lab’s work involves harvesting these sori and releasing spores onto rocks in the lab. Once the sporophytes become visible to the eye, we plant them back in the ocean. I use visual storytelling to communicate science with stakeholders, focusing on California’s kelp crisis.
Martin Stevens: “Iridescent Rainbow Wrack“
Rainbow wrack (Cystoseira tamariscifolia) is sometimes called magic seaweed, for when out of water it looks dull and brown, but submerged it takes on a stunning iridescent blue, green, and violet coloration. It can often be found in pools along the rocky shore, seemingly glowing in the sunlight. This image was taken with a wide angle lens and dome port, to obtain the split shot, with a single strobe flash underwater the bring out the colours of the seaweed.
Mark Edlund: “Dark side of Didymo“
The diatom Didymosphenia geminata recently appeared in streams along Lake Superior’s (US-Canada) North Shore for the first time. Under DIC illumination, the didymo cells are seen growing on heavy mucilage stalks creating thick mats of periphyton. Concerns center on how the invasion of these streams will affect their ecology, recreational uses, and the tourism-based economy of the region. (Olympus BX51, 20X PlanFl, DIC)
Emilio Soler Onís: “Cannibal Lector“
Blepharocysta splendor-maris (Ehrenberg) F.Stein (Dinophyta) being eaten by a Tintinnida. Scanning electron microscope image (scale bar 10 µm)
