Gavino Trono

Trono obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in botany from the University of the Philippines Diliman, his master's degree in agricultural botany from the Araneta University and his doctorate in (marine) botany from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Trono’s dissertation is considered as among the most important body of work on the diversity and ecology of algae in Micronesia. In the resulting publications, he described 11 new seaweed taxa from the area,Trono, G.C., Jr (1972 '1971'). Some new species of marine benthic algae from the Caroline Islands, western-central Pacific. Micronesica 7: pages 45-77, 10 pls. 8 of which (i.e., Avrainvillea hollenbergii Trono, Boodleopsis carolinensis Trono, Ceramium koronense Trono, Chlorodesmis dotyi Trono, Derbesia padinae Trono, Microdictyon mokilensis Trono, Spyridia velasquezii Trono, Sphacelaria carolinensis Trono) are currently accepted taxonomically.His research focuses on seaweeds including studies on the culture of Eucheuma denticulatum, Kappaphycus alvarezii, Gracilaria spp., Caulerpa lentillifera, and Halymenia durvillei for coastal communities.{{Cite web |url=http://www.interaksyon.com/article/93139/national-scientists--pnoy-confers-honors-on-alcala-trono-gomez-barba |title=National Scientists {{!}} PNoy confers honors on Alcala, Trono, Gomez, Barba |date=August 12, 2014 |access-date=August 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115005/http://www.interaksyon.com/article/93139/national-scientists--pnoy-confers-honors-on-alcala-trono-gomez-barba |archive-date=August 26, 2014 |url-status=dead}} He wrote an academic paper reporting the occurrence of ice-ice disease that had affected seaweed farms. This disease devastated the commercial production of seaweed in the Philippines. The seaweed is farmed for the food additive carrageenan.Hurtado, A. J., et al. (2006). [https://books.google.com/books?id=blf6JuQJqicC&dq=ice+ice+seaweed&pg=PA75 Occurrence of Polysiphonia epiphytes in Kappaphycus farms at Calaguas Is., Camarines Norte, Philippines.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020085331/http://books.google.com/books?id=blf6JuQJqicC&pg=PA75&lpg=PA75&dq=ice+ice+seaweed&source=bl&ots=291lbv_wZh&sig=54Jb8Iq_QUmzlSK-KUrqvGIyvR4&hl=en&ei=sBrzSsrvL4y4MKDW_OgF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CBgQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=ice%20ice%20seaweed&f=false |date=2014-10-20}} Journal of Applied Phycology 18: pages 301-06.

Trono led the assessment of several coastal areas in Western Mindanao as potential sites for seaweed farms; and discovered twenty-five (25) new marine benthic algae.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nast.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=500:academician-gavino-trono&catid=1:news|title=Academician Gavino C. Trono, Jr. is National Scientist|access-date=August 25, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826122139/http://www.nast.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=500%3Aacademician-gavino-trono&catid=1%3Anews|archive-date=August 26, 2014}} He also established the largest phycological herbarium in the country – the G.T. Velasquez Herbarium{{Cite web|title=The Gregorio T. Velasquez Phycological Herbarium (MSI): A Legacy and National Heritage|url=https://philjournalsci.dost.gov.ph/publication/special-issues/marine-botany/107-vol-151-no-s1-marine-botany/1502-the-gregorio-t-velasquez-phycological-herbarium-msi-a-legacy-and-national-heritage|access-date=2021-11-18|website=philjournalsci.dost.gov.ph}} in the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Marine Science Institute{{Cite news |url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/628386/aquino-confers-awards-on-four-new-national-scientists |title=Who are the 4 new National Scientists of PH? |last=Sabillo |first=Kristine Angelli |date=August 12, 2014 |access-date=August 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327111954/https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/628386/aquino-confers-awards-on-four-new-national-scientists |archive-date=March 27, 2019 |url-status=live}} and authored two-volume books on Field Guide and Atlas of the Seaweed Resources of the Philippines, considered as the most authoritative books in the country on the seaweed flora.{{Cite web |url=http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/03/21/aquino-names-up-marine-expert-national-scientist/ |title=Aquino names UP marine expert national scientist |date=March 21, 2014 |access-date=August 25, 2014 |publisher=Manila Standard Today |last=Panares |first=Joyce Pangco |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826120040/http://manilastandardtoday.com/2014/03/21/aquino-names-up-marine-expert-national-scientist/ |archive-date=August 26, 2014 |url-status=dead}}

Trono was conferred the rank of National Scientist of the Philippines in 2014 by Benigno Aquino III, the President of the Philippines. This award has been made to just over thirty leading scientists and this gives them a pension of life as well as a seat at important national ceremonies. The award was for his contributions to tropical marine phycology, focusing on seaweed biodiversity.[https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2014/03/13/proclamation-no-737-s-2014/ Proclamation no. 737, s. 2014], retrieved 29 August 2014

• National Scientist of the Philippines for Marine Biology in 2014
• Academician by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) in 2008
• Plaque of Recognition from the Asia Pacific Society of Applied Phycology in 2006
• University of the Philippines Alumni Award in 1979
• “Likas Yaman Award” from the Ministry of Natural Resources (now Department of Environment and Natural Resources) in 1978
• To honor his contribution to phycology, two seaweed taxa—the red seaweed species Chondrophycus tronoi (Ganzon-Fortes) K.W.NamGanzon-Fortes, E.T. (1983). Laurencia tronoi (Rhodophyta, Ceramiales), a new species from Calatagan, Batangas, Philippines. Kalikasan, Philippine Journal of Biology 11: pages 404-409, 2 figs. and the brown seaweed genus Tronoella Santiañez & Kogame{{Cite journal|last1=Santiañez|first1=Wilfred John E.|last2=Lee|first2=Kyung Min|last3=Uwai|first3=Shinya|last4=Kurihara|first4=Akira|last5=Geraldino|first5=Paul John L.|last6=Ganzon-Fortes|first6=Edna T.|last7=Boo|first7=Sung Min|last8=Kogame|first8=Kazuhiro|date=2018-01-01|title=Untangling nets: elucidating the diversity and phylogeny of the clathrate brown algal genus Hydroclathrus, with the description of a new genus Tronoella (Scytosiphonaceae, Phaeophyceae)|url=https://doi.org/10.2216/17-68.1|journal=Phycologia|volume=57|issue=1|pages=61–78|doi=10.2216/17-68.1|s2cid=90610314 |issn=0031-8884}}—were named after Dr. Trono, immortalizing him in the world of natural history sciences

• Seaweed farming

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Category:1931 births

Category:Living people

Category:Filipino marine biologists

Category:National Scientists of the Philippines

Category:University of the Philippines alumni

Category:De La Salle University alumni

Category:University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni

Category:Phycologists