New Algal Species Discovered in Kerala’s Western Ghats by Phycologists.

Environment

Scientists from Catholicate College’s Department of Botany have found a new species of algae. This is a big step forward in our knowledge of the variety in the Western Ghats, an area of India’s mountains known for its many plant and animal species.The researchers Merin Grace Jiji, Binoy T. Thomas, and Thomas V.P. found this new species of algae in the forests of the Kumbhavurutty region in the Kollam district. They have called it Oedocladium sahyadricum. The Western Ghats have unique weather and soil conditions that make it possible for a wide range of land microalgae to grow.


      Several things make oedocladium sahyadricum unique. The algae were first recognized because they are dioecious and live on land. They have an advanced operculum and oval oogonium and oospore for reproduction.

     

     

 

     


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