Elisabeth Tschermak-Woess (28 January 1917 – 26 April 2001) was an Austrian University lecturer, cytologist, and phycologist who worked with
lichen
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.photobionts. In 1994, Tschermak-Woess was awarded the
Acharius Medal
__NOTOC__
The Acharius Medal is awarded by the International Association for Lichenology (IAL) for lifetime achievement in lichenology. The organization resolved at its 1990 meeting that it would simultaneously honor professional achievement and c ...
for her lifetime contributions to lichenology. She had a Festschrift dedicated to her in 1988, in the journal '' Plant Systematics and Evolution'' (volume 158, pages 73–340). Lichen taxa that have been named after Tschermak-Woess include the genus '' Woessia'' and the species '' Asterochloris woessiae''.
chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
at the University of Vienna. In 1948 she began her career as a cytologist with Lothar Geitler. From 1971 to 1985 she was a professor of botany (cytology and genetics) at the University of Vienna. Noted for her excellent technique with the
light microscope
The optical microscope, also referred to as a light microscope, is a type of microscope that commonly uses visible light and a system of lenses to generate magnified images of small objects. Optical microscopes are the oldest design of microsco ...
, she discovered the presence of polytene chromosomes in plants. She published several studies about the interactions between
mycobiont
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.phycobiont
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.haustoria. Her field of work eventually shifted from cytology,
karyology
A karyotype is the general appearance of the complete set of metaphase chromosomes in the cells of a species or in an individual organism, mainly including their sizes, numbers, and shapes. Karyotyping is the process by which a karyotype is disce ...
and the biology of the lichen symbiosis to
epiphytic
An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...
algae and lichen algae, especially their biology and
systematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees (synonyms: cladograms, phylogenetic tre ...
. Tschermak-Woess published more than 100 scientific papers, including a book and the overview on lichen algae in
Margalith Galun
Margalith Galun ( he, מרגלית גלון, 21 February 1927 – 16 April 2012) was an Israeli lichenologist. She was a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and established the Israeli collection of lichens at Tel Aviv Unive ...
's ''Handbook of Lichenology'' (1988). Tschermak-Woess made a significant contribution to the understanding of lichen algae, and she
circumscribed
In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius.
Not every polyg ...
Elliptochloris
''Elliptochloris'' is a genus of green algae in the order Prasiolales
Prasiolales is an order of green algae in the class Trebouxiophyceae.See the NCBI
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) is part of the United Sta ...
'', and '' Hemochloris''. About a third of Tschermak-Woess's publications are about cytology; frequent topics in this area include population cytogenetic studies on ''
Allium paniculatum
''Allium paniculatum'', common name pale garlic, is a species of monocot in the family Amaryllidaceae. It is widely cultivated and is now naturalized in several places outside its native range.
Description
''Allium paniculatum'' produces severa ...
'', and the processes of
endomitosis
In cell biology, mitosis () is a part of the cell cycle in which replicated chromosomes are separated into two new nuclei. Cell division by mitosis gives rise to genetically identical cells in which the total number of chromosomes is maintai ...
and
endopolyploidy
Polyploidy is a condition in which the biological cell, cells of an organism have more than one pair of (Homologous chromosome, homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have Cell nucleus, nuclei (eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they ha ...