Valerie R. Flechtner

Emeritus Professor, Department of Biology

Telephone: 216-397-4399
Email:vflechtner@jcu.edu
Office: Dolan W 248

B.S.  in Bacteriology University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH
M.S. in Medical Microbiology  University of Wisconsin, Madison WI
Ph.D. Department of Bacteriology University of Wisconsin, Madison WI
Post Doctoral Fellow, NSF, Dr. Ruth Sager, Hunter College, NY, NY

Research Interests

I am interested in the algae found in arid in semi arid soils in North America.  I have characterized the algal flora in over 30 sites from various locales including Baja California, Mexico, San Nicolas Island (one of the Channel Islands off the coast of California), and mainland sites in California, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico.  I have examined the diversity within sites and the similarity between sites.  Most interesting has been the number of new taxa (genera and species) of cyanobacterial and eukaryotic microalgae recovered from the soils.  Working in collaboration with Louise Lewis of the University of Connecticut molecular data on a number of interesting taxa is now being collected.  The data allows more precise identification of the taxa, the definition of relationship of new taxa to previously described taxa and insights into the evolution of terrestrial algae from their aquatic relatives.

Recent Courses

BL 155 - Principles of Biology I lecture
BL 310/310L - Microbiology lecture and laboratory
BL 410 - Infection and Immunity
BL 471/571 - Immunology

Selected Publications

Flechtner, V.R., J.R. Johansen and J. Belnap.  2008.  The biological soil crusts of the San Nicolas Island:  enigmatic algae from a geographically isolated ecosystem.  Western North American Naturalist.  In press.

Flechtner, V. F.  2007.  North American desert microbiotic soil crust communities:  Diversity despite challenge.  Pages 539-551 in J. Seckbach, editor, Algae and cyanobacteria in extreme environments.  Kluwer Academic Publishers, the Netherlands. 

Lewis, L.A. and Flechtner, V.R.  2004.  Cryptic species of Scenedesmus (Chlorophyta) from desert soil communities of western North America.  J. Phycol. 40:  1127-1137.

Links

• Microbiotic Crust Project