Thekla Resvoll facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thekla Resvoll
|
|
|---|---|
Thekla Resvoll, photographed in 1891
by Gustav Borgen |
|
| Born | 22 May 1871 Vågå, Norway
|
| Died | 14 June 1948 (aged 77) Oslo, Norway
|
| Nationality | Norwegian |
| Alma mater | University of Oslo |
| Occupation | Botanist, Educator |
| Spouse(s) | Andreas Holmsen |
Thekla Susanne Ragnhild Resvoll (born May 22, 1871 – died June 14, 1948) was an important Norwegian botanist and teacher. She helped start new ways of teaching about natural history and protecting nature in Norway. She worked on this with her sister, Hanna Resvoll-Holmsen.
Contents
Thekla Resvoll's Early Life and Studies
Thekla Resvoll was born in a place called Vågå in Oppland, Norway. Her parents were Hans Resvoll and Julie Martine Deichman.
Before she started university, she worked as a nurse in Stockholm. In 1894, she began studying natural history at the Royal Frederick University in Kristiania. She became a student of Axel Blytt, a well-known professor of botany.
After finishing her studies in 1899, she went to Copenhagen. There, she worked in the botanical lab at the University of Copenhagen. She learned from Professor Eugenius Warming.
Becoming a Professor and Botanist
In 1900, Thekla Resvoll came back to the University of Oslo. By 1902, she became an associate professor at the University Botanical Garden.
She earned her highest degree, a doctorate, in 1918. Her main study was about how alpine plants survive in cold, short summers. She looked closely at how these plants grow and reproduce in tough environments. This was like studying plant population ecology before that field even had a name.
Exploring Plants in Java
From 1923 to 1924, Thekla Resvoll visited Java, an island in Indonesia. She spent time at the botanical garden in Buitenzorg. She studied trees from the Fagaceae family that grew there. She noticed these tropical trees had special buds that usually help plants survive winter. She thought these buds were a leftover trait from when their ancestors lived in colder places.
She continued working at the Botanical Laboratory until she retired in 1936. Her teaching had a big impact on many students in Norway. She also wrote a botany textbook for high school students.
Fighting for Women's Rights
Besides her work in science, Thekla Resvoll was active in the movement for women's equality in Norway. She was on the board of the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights starting in 1901. She also led the Norwegian Female Student’s Club. She was part of the board for the women's suffrage movement, which worked for women's right to vote.
Personal Life and Legacy
Thekla Resvoll was married to Andreas Holmsen, who was a mining engineer. His brother, Gunnar Holmsen, was married to Thekla's sister, Hanna.
Thekla Resvoll was the third woman ever to become a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. This was a great honor for her scientific work. She passed away in Oslo in 1948.
Selected Scientific Studies
- Resvoll, T. R., 1900. Some arctic buttercups' morphology and anatomy.
- This study showed how Ranunculus glacialis stores energy in its roots.
- Resvoll, T. R., 1903. The new vegetation on the landslide in Værdalen.
- This paper described how plants grow back after a natural event, like a landslide. This is called primary ecological succession.
- Resvoll, T. R., 1917. On plants suited to a short and cold summer.
- This was her doctoral thesis, where she studied how plants adapt to harsh, cold climates.
- Resvoll, T. R., 1925. Rubus chamaemorus L. A morphological - biological study.
- This study looked closely at the cloudberry plant.
- Resvoll, T. R., 1925. Scaly leaf buds in the ever-wet tropical forests of Java.
- This work discussed the special "hibernation buds" found in tropical trees.
More to Read
- Lønnå, Elisabeth (1996) Pride and women's struggle: History of the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights from 1913 (Oslo: Gyldendal) ISBN: 8205244952
See also
In Spanish: Thekla Resvoll para niños
