Nathaniel Lyon Gardner (February 26, 1864 – August 15, 1937), was an American phycologist and

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their genetics, genetic and biochemistry, biochemical properties, their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and ethnomycology, their use to humans, including as a so ...

who taught at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was the curator of the University Herbarium. He is known for his work on seaweeds of the Pacific Coast, as well as on freshwater algae and fungi, and among his publications is the important reference work ''Algae of Northwestern America''.

Early life and education

Gardner was born in

Keokuk, Iowa Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States, along with Fort Madison. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk, who is ...

on February 26, 1864, and began his career as an Iowa schoolteacher. After earning a teaching degree at the Washington State Normal School in

Ellensburg Ellensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kittitas County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of the Cascade Range near the junction of Interstate 90 and Interstate 82. The population was 18,666 at the 2020 census. and was ...

(now Central Washington University), he went on to teach for a time in that state. He also began collecting plants, which led him to write to the University of California for help with identification and preservation of specimens. This put him in contact with

William Albert Setchell William Albert Setchell (April 15, 1864 – April 5, 1943) was an American botanist and marine phycologist who taught at the University of California, Berkeley, where he headed the Botany Department. Among his publications are the ''Phycotheca ...

, who headed the botany department at UC Berkeley (UCB) and later worked closely with Gardner as a colleague and coauthor via correspondence. Gardner enrolled at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

to complete at Bachelor of Science degree in 1900. Gardner subsequently enrolled at UCB to study marine algae and other cryptogams, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1900., a Master of Science degree in 1903, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1906.

Career

After receiving his Bachelor degree, Gardner was hired as an assistant in botany by UCB, where he worked with W. J. V. Osterhout. Upon completion of his doctoral studies in 1906, he began teaching at the Los Angeles Polytechnic High School, where he was head of biology. He took a year's leave from this job to serve as an acting assistant professor of botany at UCB (1909–10) and then was hired full-time by UCB as an assistant professor in 1913. He rose to associate professor in 1923 and retired from UCB in 1934. He was also the curator of the University Herbarium. Gardner became known for his expertise in Pacific Coast seaweeds, as well as for his work with freshwater algae and fungi. He published extensively on the morphology and taxonomy of blue-green algae (on which he was recognized as a world authority) as well as red and brown algae. In addition to plant collecting and other kinds of field work, he developed special methods for cultivating algae in the lab. Although he often coauthored papers with Setchell, he also published some 30 solo-authored papers. An important contribution to American botany was the multi-volume reference work ''Algae of Northwestern America'', on which he collaborated with Setchell. Issued by the University of California Press, the first volume came out in 1903 and the last in 1925.

Publications

*''Cytological studies in

Cyanophyceae Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blue ...

''. (Berkeley: University Press, 1906). *''Variations in Nuclear Extrusion Among the Facaceae''. (Berkeley: University Press, 1910). * Leuvenia, ''a New Genus of

Flagellates A flagellate is a cell or organism with one or more whip-like appendages called flagella. The word ''flagellate'' also describes a particular construction (or level of organization) characteristic of many prokaryotes and eukaryotes and their ...

''. (Berkeley: University Press, 1910). * ''The genus '' Fucus'' on the Pacific Coast of North America''. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1922). * ''Algae of Northwestern America''. Coauthored with William Albert Setchell. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1903–25). * ''The Marine Algae of the Pacific Coast of North America''. Coauthored with William Albert Setchell. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1919–25). * ''New Pacific Coast Marine Algae, I-IV''. * ''Phycological Contributions, I-VII''. Coauthored with William Albert Setchell. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1920–24).

Personal life

In 1915, Gardner married the educator Edith Jordan. They had met when they were both working at the Los Angeles Polytechnic High School, he as head of the biology department and she as head of the history department. Gardner died in his home in Berkeley on August 15, 1937.

References

External links