Chris Dickman

Christopher Richard Dickman (born May 25, 1955 in London ), often also known as Chris Dickman , is an Australian mammaloge of British origin.

Life

Dickman was born and raised in London. He made his first experiences with nature observation at the age of seven in the backyard of his father's butcher's shop, where he buried bits of meat and then watched the beetles appear and lay their eggs in them. After graduating from high school, Dickman studied science at the University of Leeds from 1973 . While visiting the Peak District National Park , he saw a wild red-necked wallaby . This experience inspired Dickman to research his subject, marsupials . In 1976 he completed his bachelor's degree with distinction. Dickman then moved to Canberra . In 1978 he began studying zoology at the Australian National University , where he received his Ph.D. received his doctorate. From September 1982 to September 1984 he was a visiting researcher at the University of Oxford . From January 1985 to December 1988 he was a lecturer in zoology at the University of Western Australia in Perth . From January 1989 to December 1991 was a lecturer in biology at the University of Sydney . From January 1992 to December 1997 he was Senior Lecturer in Biology at the University of Sydney. From January 1998 to December 2003 he was a reader in biology at the University of Sydney. Since January 2004 he has been Professor of Ecology at the University of Sydney.

Dickman has been conducting long-term studies in the Simpson Desert since 1990 . Located in central Australia , this desert is home to more species of insectivorous mammals and lizards than any other desert. In his research, Dickman found that areas where the comb-tailed pouch mouse was found increased the diversity of the smaller native mammals. The comb- tailed pouch mice reduce the narrow-footed pouch mice by chasing after them or competing with them for food. The narrow-footed pouch mice in turn compete with smaller marsupials such as the Ningauis and the flat-headed pouch mice . The more the population of narrow-foot pouch mice is regulated by the comb-tail pouch mice, the more the smaller native mammals benefit and the biodiversity increases. Dickman also focuses on the long-term effects of climate on biodiversity in the Simpson Desert. Dickman observed that heavy rain leads to very rapid growth in certain plants such as the Spinifex grass. This provides more food for insects and other invertebrates , which in turn serve as food for the native rats and mice. However, Dickman also found out that the small mammals are threatened with extinction if the drought follows the heavy rain in the climate cycle. The native grasses that thrive during the rain dry up very quickly. This contributes to the severity of wildfires caused by lightning strikes. As soon as the grass is burned, the small mammals no longer have a shelter and are therefore more easily prey to red foxes and feral cats.

In 1991, Dickman teamed up with Robert Leslie Pressey , Leong Lim, and Harold Parnaby on a research project in the Western Division to study the factors influencing the biodiversity of small land mammals. The Western Division is the arid western third of New South Wales . Scientists collected the results of many field studies, consulted other scientists, and examined museum specimens, and studied historical records. They found that of the 71 species of native mammals that were present in the Western Division when the Europeans arrived in 1788, only 44 species remained in 1992. 28 of these species were endangered.

The 1993 study by Dickman and his colleagues highlighted the endangerment of native mammals in the Western Division and had a major impact. Tree cavities that offered shelter for the small mammals were no longer available due to tree clearing. Cattle and sheep eat native grasses and shrubs that otherwise provide food for native mammals. In addition, their hard hooves destroy the structures. Wild rabbits are also food competitors and red foxes or feral domestic cats are decimating the marsupial and rodent populations.

The New South Wales government conducted further research into the Western Division and within a few years several nature reserves were established for the endangered species described in the study. In 1996, the Gundabooka National Park was established near Bourke , which provides a sanctuary for the lesser lobed bat ( Chalinolobus picatus ) and the spring-bag mouse ( Antechinomys laniger ).

In 1998 Dickman was one of the first to describe the gray broad-footed pouch ( Antechinus agilis ).

Awards

In 1980, Dickman received the Troughton Memorial Medal from the Australian Mammal Society. In 2001 he was elected a member of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. In 2008 he received the C. Hart Merriam Award from the American Society of Mammalogists . In the same year his book A Fragile Balance: The Extraordinary Story of Australian Marsupials received the Whitley Award from the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales . In 2015 he was awarded the Clarke Medal of the Royal Society of New South Wales. In 2016, the fifth volume of the Handbook of the Mammals of the World won the Whitley Award, which Dickman accepted on behalf of the team of authors. In 2019, the book Secret Lives of Carnivorous Marsupials , published jointly with Andrew Baker, received the Whitley Award in the “highly recommended” category.

Web links

• Profile for Chris Dickman at the University of Sydney
• Portrait of Christopher Dickman (PDF)
• Bibliographic entry in Trove
• Bibliographic entry on Google Scholar

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Xiaolin Chen, Christopher R. Dickman, Michael B Thompson: Diet of the mulgara, Dasycercus cristicauda (Marsupialia: Dasyuridae), in the Simpson Desert, Central Australia Wildlife Research, 25 (3), 1998, pp. 233-242
2. ↑ Christopher R. Dickman, Robert L. Pressey, Leong Lim and Harold A. Parnaby: Mammals of particular conservation concern in the Western Division of New South Wales. Biological Conservation 65, 1993, pp. 219-248