Question

Who is the father of Indian Algology?

Answer 1

Hint: He served as the first president of the Phycological Society of India and was a prominent Indian botanist and a psychologist who researched the taxonomy, structure, reproduction, and cytology of the Algae and also known as the "father of Indian phycology”.

Complete answer:
Mandayam Osuri Parthasarathy Iyengar or M. O. P. Iyengar is regarded as the “Father of Indian Algology” or the “Father of Indian Phycology”. Spirogyra was the organism he primarily studied. Besides Spirogyra , he studied many other species of Algae and his studies were based on many aspects like the structure of algae, the modes of reproduction in the different algae, the taxonomic properties of the algae, etc. He was nominated as the first president of the Phycological Society of India and is also credited with the establishment of an algal research institute at Madras. He studied at Madras University and went to London for his research-related activities. There, he performed research works under the supervision of F. E. Fritsch who is also known as the “Father of algology.” A diagram of Spirogyra with labeled parts has been given below –

Note: -Spirogyra is a filamentous green alga which is also known as blanket weed, mermaid’s tresses, or water silk.
-It has a unique helical arrangement of the chloroplasts which is characteristic of this algae. It is commonly found in freshwater and measures about 10-100 micrometers in width while the length may be up to several centimeters.
-It is very common in clear eutrophic water where it develops slimy filamentous green masses.