Algae

Algae are the simplest chlorophyll-bearing, photosynthetic organisms in the plant kingdom — they lack true roots, stems and leaves, yet together they are responsible for more than half of the world's total primary productivity, since two-thirds of the Earth's surface is ocean and algae are the main photosynthesisers there. They are also the reason a rained-on terrace turns slippery, ponds turn green, and water tanks need regular cleaning. M.O. Parthasarathy Iyengar (1886–1963), celebrated as the 'Father of Indian Phycology', studied algal structure, cytology, reproduction and taxonomy and described sever …