Frederic Edward Clements

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Frederic Edward Clements (born September 16, 1874 in Lincoln , Nebraska , † July 26, 1945 in Santa Barbara , California ) was an American botanist and university professor. Its official botanical author abbreviation is “ Clem. "

Live and act

At the age of 19, Clements was already systematically studying the vegetation of his native Nebraska . First he studied botany at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln , where he also made his Baccaleaureus scientiarum (1894) and his Master of arts (1896) and received his PhD in 1898. In 1907 he was appointed professor of plant physiology at the University of Nebraska . From 1907 he was professor of botany at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. From 1927 to 1941 he was employed as an ecologist at the Carnegie Institute , Washington, DC , where he could devote himself fully to research free from teaching obligations. In winter he worked at the test station in Tucson (Arizona), later at the coast station Santa Barbara (California), in summer at the Alpine station in Engelmann Canyon on Pikes Peak (Colorado). At the same time, he had worked for the US Soil Conservation Service since 1934 .

He was married to Edith Gertrude Schwartz Clements (1877–1971), a botanist and artist.

In addition to his extensive investigations in the natural vegetation areas, experimental work was carried out in the laboratory and greenhouse, in the station on Pikes Peak and in the coast station near Santa Barbara. His interests went far beyond plant geography. Above all, he studied the systematics of mushrooms in detail and was one of the first botanists to use experimental methods in flower ecology. He was also open to practical problems. Clements was among the first to recognize the importance of soil protection.

During his investigations into the vegetation of Nebraska, Clements realized very soon that the plant cover is not a permanent condition, but gradually changes until a final society , the “ climax society ”, is reached, according to his theory . He not only developed an influential theory of the succession of plant communities, but also endeavored to shed light on topographical, edaphic , climatic and biological causes of same. He developed methods to record and map the plant communities as well as to measure the soil and climate factors. His research results were reflected, among other things, in his extensive treatise “Plant succession”, published in 1916, which was trend-setting not only in North America, but also in Europe.

Honors

The genus Clementsia Rose from the thick-leaf family (Crassulaceae) was named after him.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Lotte Burkhardt: Directory of eponymic plant names . Extended Edition. Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin, Free University Berlin Berlin 2018. [1]

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Clements, Frederic Edward
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American botanist and university professor
DATE OF BIRTH September 16, 1874
PLACE OF BIRTH Lincoln , Nebraska
DATE OF DEATH July 26, 1945
Place of death Santa Barbara , California