Compte rendu du 18 e colloque de l'Association des diatomistes de langue française

Abstract

The 18th colloquium of the Association of French speaking diatomists (ADLaF) was held in Nice (France), at the ‘Conseil Général des Alpes Maritimes’ from September 14–17, 1999. This colloquium gathered more than seventy scientists of sixteen different nationalities, mainly from French-speaking countries (Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland), but also from other countries such as Germany, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Tunisia and Ukraine. A total of 29 oral communications and 15 posters were presented on various topics: taxonomy, fossil diatoms, marine and freshwater diatoms (diatom communities and biodiversity, ecology of diatoms and water quality assessment). Three round tables were organised on the following topics: ‘Diatoms and chlorophyll pigments’, ‘Databases’ and ‘Scientific interest group on diatoms from continental waters’. During the field-trip, 30 participants collected epilithic diatoms in the river Loup (Alpes Maritimes) in the framework of an intercalibration exercise of the ‘Indice Biologique Diatomées’ (IBD) which is in the process of being normalised in France. The last day of the colloquium was devoted to observations with the microscope and to the presentation of a library of digitised diatom pictures.