Dr Tara McAllister (Te Aitanga a Māhaki) is a scientist, interdisciplinary scholar and a mother, with expertise spanning freshwater ecology to racism in the tertiary sector. On 8 March, she spoke to our club about one of New Zealand's most prominent (and dangerous) forms of algae (or bacteria!) growing in our fresh water rivers.
David Barnes reports.
Algae growth in our rivers and waterways has long been a concern in New Zealand. This week, Dr Tara McAllister of Victoria University shared her research into the factors which influence the growth of Phormidium, a river-based algae. This algae is common in our water-ways and can be very dangerous to people and pets.
Tara explained that algae have good and bad features and are an essential part of our ecosystem. But where algae gets out of control, or is in the wrong environment, it has detrimental impacts. The presence of excessive algae can also be a sign of eutrophication, which creates toxicity and stifles the livelihoods of other components in the environment.
Tara's objective was to test whether nitrate presence or river flow were most influential in catalysing the development of Phormidium. Through a series of tests, Tara found that increases in nitrites, beyond what was necessary for growth, had a limited influence in expansion. Instead what she found was that faster river flows were associated with higher levels of Phormidium. This is because faster water flows remove elements on the patch of algae which would contain growth.
Tara showed us how her research required both conceptual and practical sides and showed us photos of the comprehensive infrastructure she needed to build to conduct her experiments. This included ensuring water flows were not blocked by eels!
She is soon off to Yale for further research opportunities and, as a Māori woman, she is passionate about more Māori going into science and progressing into research careers.