Frederik Børgesen
Encyclopedia
Fredrik Christian Emil Børgesen (1866-1956) was a Danish
botanist and phycologist. He graduated in botany
from the University of Copenhagen
and was subsequently employed as an assistant at the Botanical Museum (1893 - 1900). His doctoral thesis dealt with the marine algae of the Faroe Islands
(1904). Later, he became librarian at the Library of the Botanical Garden
(1900-1935).
Børgesen made investigations of marine algae e.g. around India
, Mauritius
, the Canary Islands
and the Antilles
.
Many species have been named to his honour, e.g. Coccoloba borgesenii
(Polygonaceae
) and numerous algae
, e.g. Hypnea boergesenii (Hypneaceae) and Padina boergesenii
(Phaeophyceae).
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
botanist and phycologist. He graduated in botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
from the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
and was subsequently employed as an assistant at the Botanical Museum (1893 - 1900). His doctoral thesis dealt with the marine algae of the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
(1904). Later, he became librarian at the Library of the Botanical Garden
University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden
The University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden , usually referred to simply as Copenhagen Botanical Garden, is a botanical garden located in the centre of Copenhagen, Denmark...
(1900-1935).
Børgesen made investigations of marine algae e.g. around India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and the Antilles
Antilles
The Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...
.
Many species have been named to his honour, e.g. Coccoloba borgesenii
Coccoloba
Coccoloba is a genus of about 120–150 species of flowering plants in the family Polygonaceae. The genus is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, in South America, the Caribbean and Central America, with two species extending into Florida.The species are shrubs and trees,...
(Polygonaceae
Polygonaceae
Polygonaceae is a family of flowering plants known informally as the "knotweed family" or "smartweed family"— "buckwheat family" in the United States. The name is based on the genus Polygonum and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 in his book, Genera Plantarum. The name refers...
) and numerous algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
, e.g. Hypnea boergesenii (Hypneaceae) and Padina boergesenii
Padina pavonica
Padina pavonica, commonly known as Peacocks tail, is a brown alga found in Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean sea....
(Phaeophyceae).
Selected publications
- Børgesen, F. & Paulsen, O.Ove PaulsenOve Vilhelm Paulsen was a Danish botanist. He studeied at the University of Copenhagen under professor Eugen Warming. He was a keeper at the Botanical Museum of the University of Copenhagen from 1905 to 1920, when he became professor of botany at the Pharmaceutical College in Copenhagen, a...
(1898) Om Vegetationen paa De dansk-vestindiske ØerDanish West IndiesThe Danish West Indies or "Danish Antilles", were a colony of Denmark-Norway and later Denmark in the Caribbean. They were sold to the United States in 1916 in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies and became the United States Virgin Islands in 1917...
. København: Nordisk Forlag. 114 pp.- The work is a result of studies conducted during the expedition to VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and the AntillesAntillesThe Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...
organized by Eugen WarmingEugenius WarmingJohannes Eugenius Bülow Warming , known as Eugen Warming, was a Danish botanist and a main founding figure of the scientific discipline of ecology...
1891-1892. The whole work has a distinct "WarmingianEugenius WarmingJohannes Eugenius Bülow Warming , known as Eugen Warming, was a Danish botanist and a main founding figure of the scientific discipline of ecology...
" appearance, organized as it is according to major vegetation types (halophytic vegetationHalophyteA halophyte is a plant that grows where it is affected by salinity in the root area or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs, and seashores. An example of a halophyte is the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora . Relatively few plant species are...
, psammophytic vegetation, etc.) and with descriptions (incl. line drawings) of leaf and stem morphology in relation to habitat. Børgesen and Paulsen were students of Eugen WarmingEugenius WarmingJohannes Eugenius Bülow Warming , known as Eugen Warming, was a Danish botanist and a main founding figure of the scientific discipline of ecology...
. Later, the both went their own ways, mainly to phycologyPhycologyPhycology is the scientific study of algae. Phycology is a branch of life science and often is regarded as a subdiscipline of botany....
and marine biologyMarine biologyMarine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
.
- The work is a result of studies conducted during the expedition to Venezuela
- Botany of the FæröesBotany of the FaeroesBotany of the Færöes based upon Danish investigations – a three-volume classic scientific work on flora and vegetation of the Faroe Islands, including fungi, lichens, algae, bryophytes and vascular plants. It was published 1901 to 1908 and funded by the Carlsberg Foundation. The project was...
- These three papers were later reprinted in one volume:
- Børgesen, F. (1903) Marine algæ. In Vol. II, pp. 339-532. Copenhagen and London.
- Børgesen, F. (1908) The algæ-vegetation of the Færöese coasts, with remarks on the phyto-geoography. In Vol. III, pp. 683-834. Copenhagen and London.
- Børgesen, F. & Jónsson, H.Helgi JónssonHelgi Jónsson was an Icelandic botanist and phycologist.His main works are:*The marine algae of Iceland. Botanisk Tidsskrift 25: 378—380. 1902-1903.*The marine algae of East Greenland. Meddelelser om Grønland 30: 1-73. 1904....
(1908) The distribution of the marine algæ of the Arctic Sea and of the northernmost part of the Atlantic. In Vol. III Appendix pp. i-xxviii.
- Børgesen, F. (1904) "Om Algevegetationen ved Færøernes Kyster". Gyldendalske Boghandel, Copenhagen. Doctoral dissertation, University of Copenhagen.
- Børgesen, F. & Raunkiær, C.Christen C. RaunkiærChristen Christensen Raunkiær was a Danish botanist, who was a pioneer of plant ecology. He is mainly remembered for his scheme of plant strategies to survive an unfavourable season and his demonstration that the relative abundance of strategies in floras largely corresponded to the Earth's...
(1918) Mosses and Lichens collected in the former Danish West Indies. Dansk Botanisk ArkivDansk Botanisk ArkivDansk Botanisk Arkiv was a Danish scientific journal or monograph series concerning botany, issued by the Danish Botanical Society. It was published from 1913 to 1980.Articles were written in Danish, German, English and French...
2(9):1-18. - Børgesen, F. (1913-14) The marine Algæ of the Danish West Indies, Vol I. Chlorophyceæ and Phæophyceæ. Dansk Botanisk Arkiv 1(4) and 2(2). 226 pp.
- Børgesen, F. (1915-20) The marine Algæ of the Danish West Indies, Vol. II. Rhodophyceæ; with addenda to the Chlorophyceæ, Phæophyceæ and Rhodophyceæ. Dansk Botanisk Arkiv 3. 504 pp.