Dean W. Blinn

Dean W. Blinn

Aquatic ecology; diatom ecology; plant-herbivore and predator-prey interactions.

Regents’ Professor Emeritus, Department of Biological Sciences

PhD.  University of British Columbia

928-779-5857; Dean.Blinn@nau.edu

I study the interactions between algae and invertebrates within aquatic environments in the arid southwestern USA.  This work has focused on the morphological, chemical, and behavioral strategies used by predators to find prey and by prey to avoid predators.  I am also interested in energy flow and production in aquatic systems, molecular genetics to test the role of xeric environments on genetic divergence, and the ecology of extreme chemical environments, such as salt lakes, hot springs, and spring habitats with elevated dissolved CO₂ concentrations.  I also use diatoms to indicate past environmental and hydrological conditions in aquatic ecosystems.

I have taught the following courses while at Northern Arizona University: Algal Systematics and Ecology, Diatom Ecology, Limnology, Marine Biology, Microbial Ecology, and Stream Ecology, as well as an assortment of graduate seminars.
 

Last updated 01/29/2004 09:54 AM