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Revision as of 18:50, 25 October 2012 by Ab1106 (talk | contribs) (→Keystone Species Concept)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Robert T. Paine (born 1945) is an Ecologist and retired professor emeritus of Zoology at The University of Washington, who coined the keystone species concept in order to explain the relationship between Pisaster ochraceus, a species of starfish, and Mytilus californianus, a species of mussel. In his classic 1966 paper, Dr. Robert Paine described such a system in Makah Bay in Washington State. This led to his 1969 paper where he proposed the keystone species concept.
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 taking some courses in Zoology and Ecology at Michigan, his interests and studies changed. After graduating from The University of Michigan, Paine competed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Scripps Institute 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.
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 of keystone species occurred.
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.
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.
References
- "Keystone Species Hypothesis". University of Washington. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
- "Scientists Adopt Tiny Island as a Warming Bellwether". 06 Oct 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|Publisher=ignored (|publisher=suggested) (help) - Stolzenberg, William (2008). Where the Wild Things Were: Life, death and ecological wreckage in a land of vanishing predators. Bloomsbury USA. ISBN 1-59691-299-5.
- Paine, R.T. (1966). "Food Web Complexity and Species Diversity". The American Naturalist. 100 (910): 65–75. doi:10.1086/282400. JSTOR 2459379.
{{cite journal}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - Paine, R.T. (1969). "A Note on Trophic Complexity and Community Stability". The American Naturalist. 103 (929): 91–93. doi:10.1086/282586. JSTOR 2459472.
{{cite journal}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - Root, R.B. 1979. Robert T. Paine, President 1979-1980 Bulletin Of The Ecological Society of America 60: 156-157
- Root, R.B. 1979. Robert T. Paine, President 1979-1980 Bulletin Of The Ecological Society of America 60: 156-157
- Mills, L.S. (1993). "The Keystone-Species Concept in Ecology and Conservation". BioScience. 43 (4). BioScience, Vol. 43, No. 4: 219–224. doi:10.2307/1312122. JSTOR 1312122.
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