Irma Andersson-Kottö Explained

Irma Andersson-Kottö
Birth Date:1 January 1895
Nationality:Swedish
Fields:Botany, Genetics
Workplaces:John Innes Horticultural Institution, Wenner-Gren Institute
Alma Mater:University of Stockholm, University of London
Known For:Pioneering work in fern genetics

Irma Andersson-Kottö (1 January 1895[1] – 7 July 1985) was a Swedish botanist and a pioneer in fern genetics.[2]

Education

Andersson graduated from the University of Stockholm. In 1919 she wrote to William Bateson and joined the then John Innes Horticultural Institution (now the John Innes Centre)[3] as a volunteer worker, where later she was appointed as a student.[4] From 1934-38 she undertook her PhD at the University of London.[5]

Research

Andersson studied inheritance in ferns[6] [7] and was the first to introduce the use of an agar-based growth medium for the experimental study of fern gametophytes.[2] Her study of apospory and polyploid series in Asplenium scolopendrium was important in understanding the origin and development of the alternation of generations, a key concept in plant development.[8] [9] She was invited to join the British Pteridological Society as an honour member but elected to join as an honour subscribing member. After her time in the UK studying British ferns, she returned to Sweden to work at Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm.[10] More recently some of her hypothesis on the dominance of certain alleles[11] in ferns were confirmed experimentally.[12]

Notes and References

  1. Fries, Robert Elias. A Short History of Botany in Sweden, p. 112 (1950) ("The work of docent IRMA ANDERSSON-KOTTO of the Stockholm University (born in 1895) includes a series of papers on investigations of the genetics of ferns ...")
  2. Biology and Evolution of Ferns and Lycophytes, Chapter 4. www.cambridge.org. 10 May 2019. 10.1017/CBO9780511541827.005.
  3. A Genetical Investigation in Scolopendrium Vulgare. Hereditas. 12. 1–2. 109–177. 10.1111/j.1601-5223.1929.tb02500.x. 2010. Andersson-Kottö. Irma. free.
  4. Web site: J.B.S Haldane: the John Innes years (2017).
  5. Web site: Graduates lists 1932-1934. 2019-03-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20170628034331/http://www.senatehouselibrary.ac.uk/sites/default/files/files/our-collections/special-collections/archives-and-manuscripts/1932-4gradlist.pdf. 2017-06-28. dead.
  6. Note on some characters in ferns subject to Mendelian Inheritance. Hereditas. 9. 1–3. 157–168. 1927. 10.1111/j.1601-5223.1927.tb03517.x. Andersson. Irma. free.
  7. Book: Manual of Pteridology. 2013-11-09. 9789401761116. Verdoorn. Frans. Alston. A. H. G..
  8. Web site: Svensk Botanisk Tidskrift: Volym 26: Häfte 1-2, 1932.
  9. Apogamy, Apospory and Parthenogenesis in the Pteridophytes. Botanical Review. 17. 2. 90–104. 1951. 4353447. Steil. W. N.. 10.1007/BF02861787. 27673142.
  10. Web site: The British Fern Gazette.
  11. Variegation in three species of ferns. Zeitschrift für Induktive Abstammungs- und Vererbungslehre. 56. 115–201. 10.1007/BF01739802. 1930. Andersson-Kottö. Irma. 6189436.
  12. Web site: Patterns of variation of a common fern (Athyrium filix-femina; Woodsiaceae): Population structure along and between altitudinal gradients. 2007.