Question

Who is the father of algology?
a. R.N. Singh
b. M.O.P. Iyenger
c. F.E. Fritsch
d. Linnaeus

Answer 1

Hint: Algology is the study of algae in biology. It is also called phycology. It is a botanical sub-discipline since algae are more closely related to plants than to other groups, such as animals. This psychologist is regarded as India’s "Father of algology”.

Complete answer:
> Option A is incorrect. R.N. Singh was an innovative research worker and widely respected as a psychology expert. He was the Head of Banaras Hindu University's Botany Department, Varanasi where he explored "blue-green algae nitrogen fixation" in rice fields, adding to both botanical and practical farming awareness.

> Option B is correct. M.O.P. Iyenger (Mandayam Osuri Parthasarathy Iyenger) is widely called as the "father of Indian phycology" or "father of algology in India" and was a renowned Indian botanist and phycologist who studied the structure, cytology, reproduction and taxonomy of the algae.

> Option C is incorrect. Felix Eugen Fritsch was British biologist and professor, best known worldwide for his detailed two-volume work: “The Structure and Reproduction of the Algae” & “A Treatise of the British Freshwater Algae”. He was also head of the botanical department, Queen Mary College, London University from 1911–1948.

> Option D is incorrect. Carl Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, and doctor who was known as the "father of modern taxonomy”. He formalized the nomenclature of binomials, the current way of naming species.

So, the correct answer is Option B.

Additional information:
The scientific study of algae is phycology, also known as algology, is a branch of life science and is also considered a botanical subdiscipline. As primary producer’s algae are important in aquatic ecosystems. Most algae are eukaryotic, photosynthetic, living organisms in a wet climate. Many species are single-celled and microscopic (including phytoplankton and other microalgae); many others are multicellular to one degree or another, even to large size (e.g., seaweeds such as kelp and sargassum). Psychology includes the study of the prokaryotic organisms known as the blue-green algae or cyanobacteria. A variety of microscopic algae are also present in the lichens as symbionts. Psychologists typically focus on either freshwater or ocean algae, as well as on either diatoms or soft algae within those regions.

Note: Algae are characterized by a lack of true roots, branches, or leaves from the higher plants. They don't flourish. Most algae are eukaryotic, single-celled, and photosynthetic, microscopic organisms living in a wet environment.