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Phycology

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**History of Phycology:**
– Ancient Greeks and Romans knew of algae
– Scientific study began in late 18th century
– Description and naming of Fucus maximus in 1757
– Efforts by Lamouroux and Harvey in 19th century
– Development of identification keys in 20th century

**Notable Phycologists:**
– Isabella Abbott (1919–2010)
– Carl Adolph Agardh (1785–1859)
– Jacob Georg Agardh (1813–1901)
– M. S. Balakrishnan (1917–1990)
– Elsie M. Burrows (1913–1986)

**Key Publications:**
– R. K. Greville’s “Algae Britannicae” in 1830
– Edward Arthur Lionel Batters’ “A Catalogue of the British Marine Algae” in 1902
– Anna Weber-Van Bosse’s “The Corallinaceae of the Siboga-expedition” in 1904
– Felix Eugen Fritsch’s comprehensive volumes in 1935 and 1945
– Lily Newton’s “Handbook” in 1931

**Advancements in Phycology:**
– Development of identification keys in the 1960s
– Increased study of algal communities in the 1980s
– Emphasis on ecology in the 1980s
– Explanation of geographical variation
– Australia has the richest diversity of seaweeds with 2,000 species

**External Resources:**
– “Algae: The World’s Most Important Plants” video lecture by Russell Chapman
– “Advance of Phycology in Japan” publication
– “A Handbook of the British Seaweeds” by Lily Newton
– “Algal Ecology: Freshwater Benthic Ecosystems” by Stevenson, Bothwell, and Lowe
– “Ecology of Harmful Algae” by Granéli and Turner

Phycology (Wikipedia)

Phycology (from Ancient Greek φῦκος (phûkos) 'seaweed', and -λογία (-logía) 'study of') is the scientific study of algae. Also known as algology, phycology is a branch of life science.

Kelp in Hazards Bay, Freycinet National Park, Tasmania, Australia

Algae are important as primary producers in aquatic ecosystems. Most algae are eukaryotic, photosynthetic organisms that live in a wet environment. They are distinguished from the higher plants by a lack of true roots, stems or leaves. They do not produce flowers. Many species are single-celled and microscopic (including phytoplankton and other microalgae); many others are multicellular to one degree or another, some of these growing to large size (for example, seaweeds such as kelp and Sargassum).

Phycology includes the study of prokaryotic forms known as blue-green algae or cyanobacteria. A number of microscopic algae also occur as symbionts in lichens.

Phycologists typically focus on either freshwater or ocean algae, and further within those areas, either diatoms or soft algae.

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