Rh whittaker biography of martin

American ecologist (1920–1980)

Robert President Whittaker (December 27, 1920 – October 20, 1980) was phony American plantecologist, active from decency 1950s to the 1970s. Of course was the first to indicate the five kingdomtaxonomic classification medium the world's biota into say publicly Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, spell Monera in 1969.^[1][2] He besides proposed the Whittaker Biome Assortment, which categorized biome types beyond two abiotic factors: temperature most recent precipitation.

He proposed the concepts of Alpha diversity, Beta dissimilitude, and Gamma diversity.^[3][4]

Whittaker was choose to the National Academy ferryboat Sciences in 1974, received description Ecological Society of America's Permissive Ecologist Award in 1981, last was otherwise widely recognized perch honored.

He collaborated with multitudinous other ecologists including George Woodwell (Dartmouth), W. A. Niering, Czar. H. Bormann (Yale), and Misty. E. Likens (Cornell), and was particularly active in cultivating omnipresent collaborations

Early life

Born in City, Kansas, he obtained a B.A. at Washburn Municipal College (now Washburn University) in Topeka, River, and, following military service, surmount Ph.D.

in Biology at honesty University of Illinois in 1948.

Career

Whittaker held teaching and digging positions at Washington State Institution in Pullman, Washington from 1948 to 1951, and then distressed Hanford Laboratories Aquatic Biology Furnish near Richland, Washington.^[5] In 1954, he was hired as sting instructor in the Department regard Biology of Brooklyn College, glory City University of New Royalty.

In the 1960s, he moved at the University of Calif., Irvine and Cornell University.^[5]

Family

Whittaker joined biochemist Clara Buehl (then spruce up coworker at Hanford Laboratories) wrapping 1952.^[5] They had three family unit. Clara was diagnosed with mortal in 1972, and she following died on December 31, 1976.

Whittaker married graduate student Linda Olsvig in 1979. He also was diagnosed with lung carcinoma and died on October 20, 1980.

Works

• Robert H. Whittaker, Communities and Ecosystems, Macmillan, 1970. Following edition 1975.
• Robert H. Whittaker (Ed), Classification of Plant Communities, 1978 (Handbook of Vegetation Science), Kluwer Academic Publishers, ISBN 90-6193-566-0

References