AFTER 40 years of working with microscopic algae in marine and freshwater environments, from oceans to flower vases, New Zealand researcher Vivienne Cassie Cooper has tired of waiting for the community to recognise their significance. So she has privately published a lavishly illustrated, 160-page book about the organisms. Entitled Microalgae: Microscopic marvels, the book is aimed at general readers and students. It is estimated that microalgae, particularly diatoms, produce about 70 per cent of the world's oxygen. They also form the basis of the marine and freshwater food chains. And Cooper says they have the most beautiful forms in the whole scheme of evolution. Ironically, with the advent of red tides and blue-green algae contamination of freshwater, there is now increasing interest in microalgae. The book is available from Riverside Books, P.O. Box 7054, Hamilton, New Zealand for A$30 (NZ$30 in New Zealand) plus a handling charge.
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