Oedocladium sahyadricum

29.05.2024

Oedocladium sahyadricum

Why in the news?                        

           A group of psychologists from the Department of Botany at Catholicate College in Pathanamthitta has discovered a new algal species in the Western Ghats.

About Oedocladium sahyadricum:

• It is a new algal species and it is named as Oedocladium sahyadricum.
• The name ‘sahyadricum’ refers to the Western Ghats, also known as Sahyadri, which is rich in plant diversity and provides ideal conditions for the growth of terrestrial microalgae.
• This is the first time a species in the Oedocladium category has been recorded in Kerala.
• Species of Oedocladium have potential practical applications

○In medicine, agriculture and in the production of a natural pigment, astaxanthin which is well-documented for its unique biological activities and health benefits.

• Algae plays a significant role in ecosystems and has enormous economic importance in the world market, from high-value products to wastewater treatment.

Features:

• It is dioecious and terrestrial, having a superior operculum, and possessing ellipsoid oogonium and oospore.
• The alga was found as a thin mat of elongated strands on damp soil.
• The species, which looks like moss protonema, is velvety green but turns yellowish-green as it matures. Rainy weather is likely needed for its abundant growth.

The Western Ghats:

• The subduction of the Arabian basin and the tilting of the peninsula in the east and northeast during the Himalayan uplift generated the Western Ghats.
• They are a 1600 km long mountain chain along the west coast of India running from the river Tapi in the north to Kanyakumari in the south.
• They pass through States  of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu (6 in number). They are known by various regional names like Sahyadri, Nilgiris etc.
• They have a  tropical humid climate .The western side of the Ghat receives more rainfall than the eastern side due to windward effect.
• Western Ghats was declared as a world heritage site in 2012 by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
• It spans all the way from Tapi Valley to Kanyakumari. It is known as Sahyadri till 11° N.
• It is divided into three pieces.

      ○Northern Western Ghats

      ○Middle Sahyadri(Central Western Ghats)

      ○Southern Western Ghats

                                                                     Source: The Hindu

Question :- Oedocladium sahyadricum, recently seen in news, is a/an:

A.Bacteria

B.amoeba

C.reptile

D.algae

Answer D