Charles Krebs

Last updated

Charles Krebs
Charles Krebs.jpg
Krebs in 2007
Born
Charles Joseph Krebs

(1936-09-17) 17 September 1936 (age 87)
Alma mater
Known forEcology: The Experimental Analysis of Distribution and Abundance
SpouseAlice
Children2
Scientific career
Fields Population ecology
Institutions
Thesis The lemming cycle at Baker Lake, N.W.T., during 1959-61  (1962)
Doctoral advisor Dennis Chitty
Other academic advisors Ian McTaggart-Cowan
Website http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~krebs/

Charles Joseph Krebs FRSC FAA FRZS (born 17 September 1936) is a professor emeritus of population ecology in the University of British Columbia Department of Zoology. [1] He is also Thinker-in-residence at the Institute for Applied Ecology at the University of Canberra, Australia. He is renowned for his work on the fence effect, as well as his widely used ecology textbook Ecology: The Experimental Analysis of Distribution and Abundance. [2]

Contents

Research

Krebs was interested mostly in smaller mammal ecology and in 1965 conducted an experiment on voles. [3] He fenced in an area of grassland in an Indiana pasture about the size of a soccer field and observed what happened to the population of voles living inside the fenced area. [3] This was when he founded the widely known "Fence Effect". [3] Within a year of living in the fenced area the voles had increased by about five times, which is much more than they would in an unfenced area. [3] He then observed that the population experienced a crash, just like the unfenced populations do. [3] Krebs believed this was due to social behaviour among the voles and could be applied to other animals like them. [3] The voles had no place to migrate therefore the final crash seemed to stem from an increase of competition, aggressive behaviour, and decreased resources. [3]

Krebs also worked in British Columbia and Northern Canada for over 40 years to look at cyclic populations of mammals. [4] during this time he was able to transform the field of ecology from a descriptive science to an experimental discipline. [4] For 20 years he studied the 10-year population cycle of snowshoe hares and their predators in the Yukon. [3] He found that the population size of the snowshoe hares is regulated by predators such as the lynx, coyote, great horned owls and goshawks. [3] 90% of their deaths were found to be due to these predators and almost none because of starvation and disease. [3]

During his career, Krebs made the case for basic research.

If someone asks me if my work has economic benefit I say absolutely none. And then they ask 'well why are you doing it' and I say that we need to understand the world we live in. It enriches our lives.

Charles Krebs, Q&A: Dr. Charles Krebs on a lifetime of science, Canadian Geographic [5]

A summary of Krebs work and his influence on students and colleagues (Judith H. Myers, Stan Boutin, Rudy Boonstra and Tony Sinclair can be seen in a series of seminars entitled "Krebs´ ecologists: on population regulation"

Select awards and recognition

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowshoe hare</span> Species of mammal

The snowshoe hare, also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks. Its feet also have fur on the soles to protect it from freezing temperatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada lynx</span> Medium-sized wild cat

The Canada lynx, or Canadian lynx, is a medium-sized North American lynx that ranges across Alaska, Canada, and northern areas of the contiguous United States. It is characterized by its long, dense fur, triangular ears with black tufts at the tips, and broad, snowshoe-like paws. Its hindlimbs are longer than the forelimbs, so its back slopes downward to the front. The Canada lynx stands 48–56 cm (19–22 in) tall at the shoulder and weighs between 5 and 17 kg. The lynx is a good swimmer and an agile climber. The Canada lynx was first described by Robert Kerr in 1792. Three subspecies have been proposed, but their validity is doubted; it is mostly considered a monotypic species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mammalogy</span> Study of mammals

In zoology, mammalogy is the study of mammals – a class of vertebrates with characteristics such as homeothermic metabolism, fur, four-chambered hearts, and complex nervous systems. Mammalogy has also been known as "mastology," "theriology," and "therology." The archive of number of mammals on earth is constantly growing, but is currently set at 6,495 different mammal species including recently extinct. There are 5,416 living mammals identified on earth and roughly 1,251 have been newly discovered since 2006. The major branches of mammalogy include natural history, taxonomy and systematics, anatomy and physiology, ethology, ecology, and management and control. The approximate salary of a mammalogist varies from $20,000 to $60,000 a year, depending on their experience. Mammalogists are typically involved in activities such as conducting research, managing personnel, and writing proposals.

James Hemphill Brown is an American biologist and academic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Sutherland Elton</span> English zoologist and ecologist, 1900–1991

Charles Sutherland Elton was an English zoologist and animal ecologist. He is associated with the development of population and community ecology, including studies of invasive organisms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. S. Holling</span> Canadian ecologist (1930–2019)

Crawford Stanley "Buzz" Holling, was a Canadian ecologist, and Emeritus Eminent Scholar and Professor in Ecological Sciences at the University of Florida. Holling was one of the conceptual founders of ecological economics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern meadow vole</span> Species of mammal

The eastern meadow vole, sometimes called the field mouse or meadow mouse, is a North American vole found in eastern Canada and the United States. Its range extends farther south along the Atlantic coast.

A population cycle in zoology is a phenomenon where populations rise and fall over a predictable period of time. There are some species where population numbers have reasonably predictable patterns of change although the full reasons for population cycles is one of the major unsolved ecological problems. There are a number of factors which influence population change such as availability of food, predators, diseases and climate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Competition (biology)</span> Interaction where the fitness of one organism is lowered by the presence of another organism

Competition is an interaction between organisms or species in which both require a resource that is in limited supply. Competition lowers the fitness of both organisms involved since the presence of one of the organisms always reduces the amount of the resource available to the other.

Simon Asher Levin is an American ecologist and the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the director of the Center for BioComplexity at Princeton University. He specializes in using mathematical modeling and empirical studies in the understanding of macroscopic patterns of ecosystems and biological diversities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newfoundland pine marten</span> Subspecies of carnivore

The Newfoundland pine marten is a genetically distinct subspecies of the American marten found only on the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada; it is one of only 14 species of land mammals native to the island. The marten was listed as endangered by the COSEWIC in 2001 and has been protected since 1934, however the population still declines. The Newfoundland marten has been geographically and reproductively isolated from the mainland marten population for 7000 years. The Newfoundland pine marten is similar in appearance to its continental cousin, but is slightly larger, with dark brown fur with an orange/yellow patch on the throat. Females are an average weight of 772 grams and males have an average weight of 1275 grams. The Newfoundland subspecies is also observed to inhabit a wider range of forest types than its mainland counterparts. The population characteristics suggest that the Newfoundland marten is a product of unique ecological setting and evolutionary selective factors acting on the isolated island population. The Newfoundland pine marten is omnivorous, feeding on mainly small mammals, along with birds, old carcasses, insects and fruits; it is currently found in suitable pockets of mature forest habitat, on the west coast of Newfoundland and in and around Terra Nova National Park. The Pine Marten Study Area (PMSA) is located in southwestern Newfoundland and is a 2078 km2 wildlife reserve that was created in 1973 to protect the Newfoundland Marten.

The Eminent Ecologist Award is prize awarded annually to a senior ecologist in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the science of ecology. The prize is awarded by the Ecological Society of America. According to the statutes, the recipient may be from any country in the world. However, in practice very few non-U.S. citizens have received the award. The awardee receives lifetime membership in the society.

Edward Smith Deevey Jr., born in Albany, New York, was a prominent American ecologist and paleolimnologist, and an early protégé of G. Evelyn Hutchinson at Yale University. He was a creative pioneer in several areas, including quantitative palynology, cycling of natural isotopes, biogeochemistry, population dynamics, systematics and ecology of freshwater zooplankton, and he promoted the use of life tables in ecology.

Graeme James Caughley was a New Zealand population ecologist, conservation biologist, and researcher. He combined empirical research with mathematical models, and supported the declining population paradigm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Shine</span> Australian scientist

Richard Shine is an Australian evolutionary biologist and ecologist; he has conducted extensive research on reptiles and amphibians, and proposed a novel mechanism for evolutionary change. He is currently a Professor of Biology at Macquarie University, and an Emeritus Professor at The University of Sydney.

Professor Herbert George Andrewartha, BS (UWA), MAgSc (Melb), DSc (Adel), FAA, was a distinguished Australian research scientist in the fields of entomology, biology, zoology and animal ecology.

Henry Neville "Mick" Southern was an English ornithologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oliver Payne Pearson</span> American zoologist

Oliver Payne Pearson, or "Paynie" to many that knew him, was an American zoologist and ecologist. Over a very active 50-year career, he served as professor of zoology at UC Berkeley and curator of mammals at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. Pearson is best known for his work on the role of predation on vole demography and population cycles, and for his piercing contributions to the biology of South American mammals, but his earlier studies on reproductive and physiological ecology are highly regarded as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judith H. Myers</span> Canadian-American ecologist

Judith (Judy) H. Myers is a Canadian-American ecologist. In 2014 she was elected president of the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution. Professor Myers is well known for her decades-long research into plant-animal-microbe interactions, including insect pest outbreaks, viral pathogens of insects, and pioneering work on biological control of insects and plants, particularly invasive species. Throughout her career she has advocated strongly for both the public understanding of science and for increasing the number of women in the STEM subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Anthony Ronald Entrican Sinclair is a professor emeritus of zoology at the University of British Columbia.

References

  1. "Charles J. Krebs".
  2. 1 2 "Science.ca : Charles J. Krebs".
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 GCS Research Society. 2015. Science.ca. http://www.science.ca/scientists/scientistprofile.php?pID=11
  4. 1 2 1. Ecological Society of America. 2002. Eminent Ecologist Award. http://www.esa.org/history/Awards/bulletin/eminent2002.pdf
  5. Doyle, Sabrina (27 July 2015). "Q&A: Dr. Charles Krebs on a lifetime of science". Canadian Geographic. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  6. "Merriam Award Recipients". American Society of Mammalogists.
  7. "Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales". Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.