Robert T. Paine (zoologist)
| Robert Treat Paine | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1933 (age 90–91)[citation needed] |
| Institutions | University of Michigan University of Washington Harvard University Scripps Institution of Oceanography United States Army |
| Alma mater | Harvard University (undergraduate) University of Michigan (postgraduate) |
| Thesis | The Life History and Population Dynamics of Glottidia Pyramidata (Brachiopoda) (1961) |
| Doctoral students | Paul Dayton Bruce Menge Jane Lubchenco[1] |
| Known for | keystone species concept[1] |
| Notable awards | Sewall Wright Award (1996) National Academy of Sciences International Cosmos Prize (2013) |
| Website www |
|
Robert Treat Paine (born 1933) is an ecologist and retired professor emeritus of zoology at The University of Washington, who coined[2][3] the keystone species[1] concept in order to explain the relationship between Pisaster ochraceus, a species of starfish, and Mytilus californianus, a species of mussel.[4] In his classic 1966 paper, Dr. Paine described such a system in Makah Bay in Washington State.[5] This led to his 1969 paper where he proposed the keystone species concept.[6][7][8]
Contents
Early life and education
Paine grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and attended Harvard University. After Harvard, Paine served in the U.S. Army where he was the battalion gardener. He later entered graduate school at the University of Michigan intending to study paleontology. After he took some courses in zoology and ecology at Michigan, his interests and studies changed after taking an ecology course with Fred Smith.[9] Upon graduating from the University of Michigan, Paine competed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In 1962, Paine joined the University of Washington where he spent the rest of his career and became well known for his work.[10]
Research Interests
Paine's doctoral research thesis was on the ecology of living brachipods (living marine organisms that have shells on their upper and lower surfaces). As a postdoctoral fellow, he worked on the history and energetics of opisthobranchs (marine gastropods). Much of Paine's work at the University of Washington focused on the organization of marine communities. It was here that much of his research on keystone species occurred.[10]
Keystone Species Concept
In 1969, Paine coined the term "keystone species". Paine's concept states that an ecosystem may experience a dramatic shift if a keystone species is removed, even though that species was a small part of the ecosystem by measures of biomass or productivity. It has become a very popular concept in conservation biology.[11]
Recognition
- Vice-President, Ecological Society of America, 1977-1978.
- President, Ecological Society of America, 1979-1980.
- MacArthur Award, Ecological Society of America, 1983.
- Elected to The National Academy of Sciences, 1986.
- International Cosmos Prize, 2013
References
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