Context

Recently, A New algal species “Oedocladium sahyadricum” discovered in the natural forests of Kumbhavurutty region of Western Ghats in Kollam. 

About Oedocladium Sahyadricum

• The name ‘sahyadricum’ refers to the Western Ghats, also known as Sahyadri. 
• Features :  
  • It is Dioecious (having the male and female reproductive organs in separate individuals.),
  • Terrestrial, having a superior operculum (an operculum is a flap of some type found on algae, fungi, or vascular plants.).
  • It looks like moss protonema, is velvety green but turns yellowish-green as it matures. 
  • Possessing ellipsoid oogonium (large cells that develop a pore in the cell wall that allows flagellated sperm cells to enter the cell.)
  • Oospore (a thick-walled sexual spore that develops from a fertilized oosphere ).

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• Habitat :
  • The alga was found as a thin mat of elongated strands on damp soil. 
  • Rainy weather is likely needed for its abundant growth.
• Potential practical applications : 
  • In medicine, agriculture, and in the production of a natural pigment, astaxanthin. 
  • Algae play a significant role in ecosystems and have enormous economic importance in the world market, from high-value products to wastewater treatment.