Phycology () is the scientific study of

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular micr ...

. Also known as algology, phycology is a branch of

life science Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy ...

. Algae are important as primary producers in aquatic

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...

s. Most algae are

eukaryotic Eukaryotes () are organisms whose cells have a nucleus. All animals, plants, fungi, and many unicellular organisms, are Eukaryotes. They belong to the group of organisms Eukaryota or Eukarya, which is one of the three domains of life. Bacte ...

photosynthetic Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored in ...

organisms that live in a wet environment. They are distinguished from the higher plants by a lack of true

root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the su ...

s, stems or

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

. They do not produce flowers. Many species are single-celled and microscopic (including

phytoplankton Phytoplankton () are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater ecosystems. The name comes from the Greek words (), meaning 'plant', and (), meaning 'wanderer' or 'drifter'. ...

and other

microalgae Microalgae or microphytes are microscopic algae invisible to the naked eye. They are phytoplankton typically found in freshwater and marine systems, living in both the water column and sediment. They are unicellular species which exist indiv ...

); many others are

multicellular A multicellular organism is an organism that consists of more than one cell, in contrast to unicellular organism. All species of animals, land plants and most fungi are multicellular, as are many algae, whereas a few organisms are partially ...

to one degree or another, some of these growing to large size (for example, seaweeds such as

kelp Kelps are large brown algae seaweeds that make up the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera. Despite its appearance, kelp is not a plant - it is a heterokont, a completely unrelated group of organisms. Kelp grows in "underwa ...

and ''

Sargassum ''Sargassum'' is a genus of brown (class Phaeophyceae) macroalgae ( seaweed) in the order Fucales. Numerous species are distributed throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world, where they generally inhabit shallow water and coral ...

''). Phycology includes the study of prokaryotic forms known as blue-green algae or

cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, bl ...

. A number of microscopic algae also occur as symbionts in

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.''Fucus maximus'' (now ''Ecklonia maxima'') in 1757 by

Pehr Osbeck Pehr Osbeck (1723 – 23 December 1805) was a Swedish explorer, naturalist and an apostle of Carl Linnaeus. He was born in the parish of Hålanda on Västergötland and studied at Uppsala with Carolus Linnaeus. Naturalist in Canton In 1750 ...

. This was followed by the descriptive work of scholars such as Dawson Turner and

Carl Adolph Agardh Carl Adolph Agardh (23 January 1785 in Båstad, Sweden – 28 January 1859 in Karlstad) was a Swedish botanist specializing in algae, who was eventually appointed bishop of Karlstad. Biography In 1807 he was appointed teacher of mathematics ...

, but it was not until later in the 19th century that efforts were made by J.V. Lamouroux and William Henry Harvey to create significant groupings within the algae. Harvey has been called "the father of modern phycology" in part for his division of the algae into four major divisions based upon their pigmentation. It was in the late 19th and early 20th century, that phycology became a recognized field of its own. Men such as

Friedrich Traugott Kützing Friedrich Traugott Kützing (8 December 1807 in Ritteburg – 9 September 1893) was a German pharmacist, botanist and phycologist. Despite his limited background in regard to higher education, Kützing made significant scientific contribution ...

continued the descriptive work. In Japan, beginning in 1889, Kintarô Okamura not only provided detailed descriptions of Japanese coastal algae, he also provided comprehensive analysis of their distribution. Although R. K. Greville published his ''Algae Britannicae'' as early as 1830, it was not until 1902 with the publication of ''A Catalogue of the British Marine Algae'' by Edward Arthur Lionel Batters that the systematic correlation of records, extensive distribution mapping and the development of identification keys began in earnest. In 1899-1900, Anna Weber-Van Bosse, a Dutch Phycologist travelled on the Siboga expedition and later in 1904, published
The Corallinaceae of the Siboga-expedition
'. As early as 1803 Jean Pierre Étienne Vaucher had published on the isogamy (sexual conjugation) in the algae, but it was in the early 20th century that reproduction and development began to be extensively studied. The 1935 and 1945 comprehensive volumes of

Felix Eugen Fritsch Felix Eugen Fritsch FRS (26 April 1879 – 2 May 1954) was a British biologist. Fritssch was born in Hampstead in London in 1879 where his father owned and operated a school. Fritsch started his career at the University of Munich before mov ...

consolidated what was then known about the morphology and reproduction of the algae. This was followed in the 1950s by the development of area checklists, led by

Mary Parke Mary Winifred Parke, FRS, (23 March 1908 – 17 July 1989) was a British marine botanist and Fellow of the Royal Society (1972) specialising in phycology, the study of algae. Scientific work Mary Parke contributed a great deal to the study o ...

with her 1931 ''Manx Algae'' and followed in 1953 by her "A preliminary check-list of British marine algae" Although

Lily Newton Lily Newton (26 January 1893 – 26 March 1981) was professor of botany and vice-principal at the University of Wales. Early life and education Newton was born at Pensford in Somerset in 1893, the daughter of George and Melinda Batten. She a ...

's 1931 ''Handbook'' provided the first identification key for the algae of the British Isles, it was the 1960s before the development of such keys became routine. The 1980s with the new emphasis on ecology saw increased study of algal communities, and the place of algae in larger plant communities, and provided an additional tool for explaining geographical variation.Figueiras, F. G.; Picher, G. C. and Estrada, M. (2008) "Chapter 10: Harmful Algal Bloom Dynamics in Relation to Physical Processes
page 130
''In'' Granéli, E. and Turner, J. T. (2008) ''Ecology of Harmful Algae'' Springer, Berlin, pp. 127–138, The continent with the richest diversity of seaweeds is

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, which has 2,000 species.

Notable phycologists

* Isabella Abbott (1919–2010) *

(1785–1859) * Jacob Georg Agardh (1813–1901) * M. S. Balakrishnan (1917–1990) * Elsie M. Burrows (1913–1986) * Margaret Constance Helen Blackler (1902–1981) * Elsie Conway (1902–1992), President of the British Phycological Society 1965–1967. * E. Yale Dawson (1918–1966) * Giovanni Battista de Toni (1864–1924) * Kathleen Mary Drew-Baker (1901–1957) *

Nathaniel Lyon Gardner Nathaniel Lyon Gardner (February 26, 1864 – August 15, 1937), was an American phycologist and mycologist who taught at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was the curator of the University Herbarium. He is known for his work on s ...

(1864-1937) * Robert Kaye Greville (1794–1866) * Michael D. Guiry (1949- ) * Lena Tracy Hanks (1879–1944) *

M. O. P. Iyengar Mandayam Osuri Parthasarathy Iyengar (15 December 1886 – 10 December 1963) was a prominent Indian botanist and phycologist who researched the structure, cytology, reproduction and taxonomy of algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal t ...

(1886-1986) * Eifion Jones (1925–2004) * Vasudeva Krishnamurthy (1921–2014) *

(1807–1893) * Marie Lemoine (1887–1984) * Diane S. Littler (1945- ) * Hans Christian Lyngbye (1782–1837) * Carola Ivena Meikle (1900-1970) *

Irene Manton Irene Manton, FRS FLS (born Irène Manton; 17 April 1904, in Kensington – 13 May 1988) was a British botanist who was Professor of Botany at the University of Leeds. She was noted for study of ferns and algae. Biography Irene Manton was th ...

(1904–1988) * Valerie May (1916-2007) * Carl Nägeli (1817–1891) *

(1893–1981) *

Friedrich Oltmanns Friedrich Oltmanns (11 July 1860, in Oberndorf – 13 December 1945) was a German phycologist. In 1884 he received his doctorate at the University of Strasbourg, afterwards working as an assistant at the University of Rostock (from 1885). In ...

(1860–1945) * William J. Oswald (1919–2005) *

(1908–1989) *

Franz Josef Ruprecht Franz Josef Ruprecht (1 November 1814 – 4 April 1870) was an Austrian-born physician and botanist active in the Russian Empire, where he was known as Frants Ivanovič Ruprekht (russian: link=no, Франц Ива́нович Ру́прехт). ...

(1814–1870) *

William Albert Setchell William Albert Setchell (April 15, 1864 – April 5, 1943) was an American botanist and marine phycologist who taught at the University of California, Berkeley, where he headed the Botany Department. Among his publications are the ''Phycotheca ...

(1864–1943) * Paul Silva (1922–2014) *

Gilbert Morgan Smith Gilbert Morgan Smith (6 January 1885, Beloit, Wisconsin – 11 July 1959) was a botanist and phycologist, who worked primarily on the algae. He was best known for his books, particularly the ''Freshwater Algae of the United States'', the ''Marin ...

(1885-1959) * John Stackhouse (1742–1819) *

William Randolph Taylor William Randolph Taylor (December 21, 1895 – November 11, 1990) was an American botanist known as an expert in phycology. Early life Taylor was born on December 21, 1895 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Pennsyl ...

(1895–1990) *

Vittore Benedetto Antonio Trevisan de Saint-Léon Vittore Benedetto Antonio Trevisan de Saint-Léon (5 June 1818, in Padua – 8 April 1897, in Milan) was an Italian botanist who specialized in cryptogamic flora. During his career, he was a professor of natural history in Padua. In 1882 he ...

(1818–1897) * Gavino Trono, (1931-) Filipino marine biologist noted for research on seaweeds *

Máirin de Valéra Máirin de Valéra MRIA (12 April 1912 – 8 August 1984) was an Irish phycologist. She was the first chair and professor of Botany at University College Galway. Early life and education Máirin de Valéra was born 12 April 1912 in Dublin, th ...

(1912–1984) * Anna Weber-van Bosse (1852-1942) *

George Stephen West George Stephen West (20 April 1876 – 7 August 1919), ARCS, FLS, was a British botanist, a specialist in phycology and protistology, a botanical illustrator and a writer. With his father. botanist William West (West, 1848–1914), he coll ...

(1876-1919) * William West (1848–1914) *

William West Jr William West Jr, ARCS, (11 February 1875 – 14 September 1901) was an English botanist. He was the elder son of the botanist William West, and the brother of George Stephen West. West assisted his father in fieldwork. He wrote papers on fl ...

(1875–1901) *

Carl Ludwig Willdenow Carl Ludwig Willdenow (22 August 1765 – 10 July 1812) was a German botanist, pharmacist, and plant taxonomist. He is considered one of the founders of phytogeography, the study of the geographic distribution of plants. Willdenow was ...

(1765–1812)

References

External links

Algae: The World's Most Important "Plants"
video lecture by Russell Chapman from 2006.
British Phycological SocietyInternational Phycological SocietyAlgological
Studies is an international journal of phycology which publishes peer reviewed scientific papers of international significance from the entire field of algology (phycology)
AlgaeBaseSeaweed SiteANSP Phycology Section
{{Authority control

Notable phycologists

See also

References

External links