Title:	Dean of the School
Address:	115 New Cavendish Street, London W1T 3UW
Tel:	+44 (0)20 7911 5000 ext: 5889
Fax:	+44 (0)20 7911 5087
Email:	lewisjm@westminster.ac.uk

Background

BSc Marine Biology and Oceanography; UCNW Bangor

PhD Marine Botany, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, University of London

A lifelong fascination with the sea led to an interdisciplinary marine sciences degree that incorporated an understanding of the physical environment as the context for  biological processes taking place within it.  The PhD focussed her attention on microalgae and particularly harmful algal blooms. Her thesis looked at the ecology and taxonomy of marine dinoflagellate in Scottish sea lochs. Her studies of dinoflagellates include a particular focus on the cyst stage of the life cycle, including their role in the ecology of harmful algal blooms and their use in the interpretation of the fossil record.  Establishing cyst- theca relationships and working with Alexandrium species have, more recently, led to the application of molecular techniques in her research.

Research Interests

Two research strands have dominated my research:

The first is the use of dinoflagellate cysts to interpret the fossil record. We find that for many Gonyaulax  species spine length can be broadly related to encystment conditions.  In low salinity conditions cyst morphology inclines to reduced spine length (or even no spines at all – see pictures and references below).

Light micrographs of Gonyaulax cysts (Spinferites) displaying a range of spine morphologies (each around 45 microns in size)

The second research interest is in harmful algal blooms and most particularly the role life cycles play in their ecology. Studies of this nature crucially depend on accurate identification of potentially harmful species and so I have a strong interest in microalgal taxonomy and the application of molecular techniques to this subject. Recently we have been studying (with EU funding) the distribution of Alexandriumspecies around the UK and mating interactions between toxic and non-toxic strains (see www.icm.csic.es/bio/seed/).  We have also been part of a collaborative group from across Europe developing a portable algal detection device (see (www.algadec.net/index2.html).

Light micrograph of an Alexandrium cyst (around 50 microns in length)

Current Research / Ongoing Projects

SEEDs project (see above and www.icm.csic.es/bio/seed/)

Selected Publications

Juliet Brodie and Jane Lewis (editors) (2007) Unravelling the algae; the past, present and future of algal systematics.  Systematics Association/CRC Press.

Martin J. Head, Jane Lewis & Anne deVernal (2006). The cyst of the calcareous dinoflagellate Scrippsiella trifida: resolving the fossil record of its organic wall with that of Alexandrium tamarense. Journal of Palaeontology  80(1): 1-18.

Marina Montresor & Jane Lewis (2005).  Phases, Stages and shifts in the life cycle of marine phytoplankton. In Algal Cultures, Analogues and Applications ed. D.V. Subba Rao. Science Publishers Inc. New Hampshire USA. pp. 91-129.

Gay Kennaway & Jane Lewis (2004) An ultrastructural study of hypnozygotes of Alexandrium species (Dinophyceae). Phycologia 43:353-363.

Alan R. Hemsley, Jane Lewis & Peter C. Griffiths (2004). Soft and sticky development : some underlying reasons for microarchitectural pattern convergence. Review Palaeobotany & Palynology 130:105-119.

Marianne Ellegaard, Niels Daugbjerg, André Rochon, Jane Lewis and Ian Harding

(2003). Morphological and LSU rDNA sequence variation within the Gonyaulax-Spiniferites-group (Dinophyceae), and proposal of two new combinations, Gonyaulax elongata comb. nov. and G. membranacea comb. nov. Phycologia 42:151-164.

Elsa Alverca, Isabelle C. Biegala, Gabrielle Kennaway, Jane Lewis and Susana Franca (2003).  In situ identification and localization of bacteria associated with Gyrodinium instriatum (Gymnodiniales, Dinophyceae) by electron and confocal microscopy.  European Journal of Phycology 37:523-530.

Ian Probert, Jane Lewis & Evelyne Erard-Le Denn (2002)  Morphological details of the life history of Alexandrium minutum (Dinophyceae).  Cryptogamie Algologie  23:343-355.

Marianne Ellegaard, Jane Lewis and Ian Harding (2002) Cyst-theca relationship, life cycle and effects of temperature and salinity on the cyst morphology of Gonyaulax baltica sp. nov. (Dinophyceae) from The Baltic Sea area. Journal of Phycology 38:775-789.

Wendy A. Higman, David M Stone and Jane M. Lewis (2001)  Sequence comparisons of toxic and non-toxic Alexandrium tamarense (Dinophyceae) isolates from UK waters.  Phycologia 40:256-262.

Conference Presentations or/and Other Publications

Jane was an invited speaker at the Tenth International Conference on Harmful Algal Blooms held in Florida in 2002 and the seventh International conference on fossil and modern Dinoflagellates held in Nagasaki in 2003. She was an invited tutor on the ECOLMAS Course 2003-07 on Dinoflagellates – biological characteristics, ecology and their use for paleoclimate reconstruction held at the University of Bremen in December 2003.  She was also an invited speaker at the Joint Symposium of APLF-TMS-LSPG entitled ‘Palynologie, Paléolatitudes, Paléoaltitudes ; Répartition des ensembles continentaux et océaniques au cours du temps, influence sur le climat et la biodiversité in Paris in October 2005.  She is a guest lecturer on the palynology modules of UCL/NHM Mictopalaeontology MSc.

Awards and Grants

CEFAS: The ecological consequences of seabed disturbance; £78,646; 10/01

ABP: P. lima in Dibden area; £3,400; 06/02

WRc: Analysis of Thames estuary samples for Alexandrium cysts; £43,750; 11/02

WRc: Analysis of Poole harbour samples for Alexandrium cysts; £1750; 04/04

EU: ALGADEC; £47,830; 07/04

EU: SEED; £119,738; 03/05;

BPS small grant: How do Dinoflagellates package all that DNA? £800; 07/06

Research Groups / Key Appointments

• Member of Westminster Water Science Research Group