Michelle Casanova

Michelle has been working on the ecology and taxonomy of water plants since 1988. Her major interest is in the family Characeae, the charophytes. Charophytes are macroalgae of inland waters, and the closest living relatives of the ancestors of land plants. They are indicators of water quality and water regime, and are the basis of many aquatic food webs. Australia has a huge diversity of charophytes, and there are many new and endemic species.

Projects

• Revision of the Characeae for Algae of Australia
• Editor of the Journal Charophytes (www.charophytes.com)
• Collaboration with overseas researchers in charophyte genetics and ecology
• 'Wetlands of the Wannon' botanical survey for GHCMA

Publications

Casanova M.T. (2011). Using plant functional groups to investigate environmental water requirements. Freshwater Biology 56, 2637–2652.

Casanova M.T., Bradbury S. and Ough K. (2011). Morphological variation in an Australian species of Lamprothamnium (Characeae, Charophyceae) in response to different salinities. Charophytes 2, 87–92.

Casanova M.T. (2009). An overview of Nitella Ag. in Australia (Characeae, Charophyta). Australian Systematic Botany 22, 193–218

Casanova M.T. and Nicol J.S. (2009). Chara canescens in the southern hemisphere. Charophytes 1, 55–60.

Casanova M.T. and Karol K.G. (2008). Monoecious Nitella species from south-eastern Australia, including Nitella paludigena sp. nov. Australian Systematic Botany 21, 201–216.

Full publication list