Thomas Belt

Thomas Belt (born November 27, 1832 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne , † September 21, 1878 in Denver , USA ) was an English geologist and scientist. Belt became known for his work on the geology of the gold mines, glacial geology and his description of the symbiotic relationship between a species of acacia and the pseudomyrmex ants ( Myrmekophylaxis ).

Life

The young Belt's interest in natural history was sparked through the Tyneside Naturalists Field Club . In 1852 he went to Australia , where he worked in the local gold mines for eight years. There he gained practical knowledge about the ore deposits. In 1860 he moved to Nova Scotia , where he ran some gold mines. Due to a serious injury, he was forced to return to England. In 1861 Belt published Mineral Veins: on Inquiry into their Origin, founded on a Study of the Auriferous Quartz Veins of Australia. He later went to Dolgellau in Wales, another gold mining region, for about three years . There he researched the rocks and fossils of the lingula stone slabs . His observations were published in his important and now classic memoir in Geological Magazine in 1867 .

Nicaragua

Pseudomyrmex spinicola

The following year Belt was hired to run some gold mines in Nicaragua , where he then spent four years. During this stay his work The Naturalist in Nicaragua (1874) was created. In this work Belt expresses his position regarding the past presence of glaciers in that country. He is also the first to describe the symbiotic relationship between Pseudomyrmex spinicola , a type of red myrmecophytic neutropic ant that lives only in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and the tropical tree Acacia collinsii . The ants live in the thorns of this tree and feed on the protein and fats (Belt calls them “honey-like liquid”), which the pods (Belt calls them “fruit-like bodies”) produce for the ants. In exchange for this, the ants protect the tree against attacks from other insects, especially those from the leaf cutter ants . In order to pay tribute to Belt for this observation, the “fruit-like bodies” were given the name “ Beltian bodies ”.

The Naturalist in Nicaragua was translated into Spanish as El Naturalista en Nicaragua by the Nicaraguan scientist Jaime Incer Barquero in 1974, exactly 100 years later . The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin , edited by Francis Darwin, his son (Volume 3, page 188) states: “ In the spring of that year (1874) we read a book which he enjoyed very much and which he often spoke about with admiration, 'The Naturalist in Nicaragua', by the late Thomas Belt. Mr. Belt, whose untimely death can only be regretted by scientists, was an engineer by profession. Hence, all of his admirable observations regarding natural history - in Nicaragua or elsewhere - are a result of his pastimes. The style of the book is direct and lively. It was written with plenty of descriptions and stimulating discussions. Referring to the book, my father wrote to Sir JD Hooker: 'I have read Belt. I am delighted that you like it so much. It seems to me to be the very best journal on natural history that has ever been published ' . "

In later publications, Belt dealt with the phenomena of glacial periods in the British Isles and in various parts of the world.

Death and burial

After traveling to Russia , Siberia and Colorado , Belt died on September 21, 1878 in Denver . He was buried there in the Riverside Cemetery.

literature

• Willow Zuchowski: A Guide to the Tropical Plants of Costa Rica. Distribuidores Zona Tropical, SA, Miami, Fla. 2005.
• Thomas Belt: The Naturalist in Nicaragua. Cosimo, 2005, ISBN 1-59605-217-1 , p. XXII.