On the contribution of Mary Agard Pocock to developmental biology research of the genus Volvox L.

Abstract

Mary Agard Pocock (1886–1977) made seminal contributions to our knowledge of the green algal genus Volvox L. During the 1930–1950s, she published a series of papers dealing with Volvox and the related colonial volvocine algae. Working first at the University of Cape Town, and later at Rhodes University College (later Rhodes University, Grahamstown), Pocock was the most active researcher in this field of phycology during that time. In this essay, her extremely detailed works on Volvox, an organism of great interest for developmental biologists today, are briefly analysed (with an emphasis on the ontogenetic aspects). We show that Pocock’s data on morphogenesis and reproduction of several members of the genus reveal her significant role in the emergence of this field and her passion for the biology of this organism. Her works still retain an importance for understanding contemporary developmental biology of Volvox, rather than being of mere historical interest. Documenting this is important for those with an interest in the scientific history of this model taxon in developmental biology, and in phycology research in South Africa in general.

Keywords:

• Mary Pocock
• history of botany
• morphogenesis
• reproduction
• Volvox

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to two anonymous reviewers who read an earlier version of this paper and made useful comments.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Alexey G. Desnitskiy http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1141-1684

Additional information

Funding

AGD’s visit to South Africa was partially supported by the Durand Foundation for Evolutionary Biology and Phycology. PMD is supported by the National Research Foundation (SA) and the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences.