Peter Vitousek | |
---|---|
Born | Hawaii, USA | January 24, 1949
Nationality | American |
Spouse(s) | Pamela Matson |
Awards | Princeton Environmental Prize (2002) [1] |
Academic background | |
Education | BA., 1971 Amherst College PhD., 1975, Dartmouth College |
Academic work | |
Institutions | Indiana University Stanford University |
Notable students | Virginia Matzek |
Peter Morrison Vitousek (born January 24,1949 [2] ) is an American ecologist,particularly known for his work on the nitrogen cycle.
Born in Hawaii,Vitousek graduated from Amherst College in 1971 and received his Ph.D. in biology from Dartmouth College in 1975. Since then,he has worked as an Assistant Professor of Zoology and Biology at Indiana University (1975–79),an Associate Professor of Botany and Biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1980–83),and a Professor in the Department of Biology at Stanford University since 1984. [2] He is married to fellow Stanford professor and ecologist Pamela Matson.
He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1992. [3] In 1993,he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. [4] Vitousek was awarded the 2006 NAS Award for Scientific Reviewing "for his scholarly and inspirational book and reviews on nitrogen cycling and its role in the evolving patterns of ecosystem productivity and diversity." [5] In 2010,he was awarded the Japan Prize. [6]
Vitousek is the son of Betty and Roy Vitousek Jr of Hawaii. He is the grandson of Roy A. Vitousek who was a three-term Speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives. [7]
An ecosystem consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the system through photosynthesis and is incorporated into plant tissue. By feeding on plants and on one another,animals play an important role in the movement of matter and energy through the system. They also influence the quantity of plant and microbial biomass present. By breaking down dead organic matter,decomposers release carbon back to the atmosphere and facilitate nutrient cycling by converting nutrients stored in dead biomass back to a form that can be readily used by plants and microbes.
The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among atmosphere,terrestrial,and marine ecosystems. The conversion of nitrogen can be carried out through both biological and physical processes. Important processes in the nitrogen cycle include fixation,ammonification,nitrification,and denitrification. The majority of Earth's atmosphere (78%) is atmospheric nitrogen,making it the largest source of nitrogen. However,atmospheric nitrogen has limited availability for biological use,leading to a scarcity of usable nitrogen in many types of ecosystems.
Ecosystem ecology is the integrated study of living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components of ecosystems and their interactions within an ecosystem framework. This science examines how ecosystems work and relates this to their components such as chemicals,bedrock,soil,plants,and animals.
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.
Myrica faya is a species of Myrica,native to Macaronesia,and possibly also western coastal mainland Portugal.
F. Stuart Chapin III is a professor of Ecology at the Department of Biology and Wildlife of the Institute of Arctic Biology,University of Alaska. He was President of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) from August 2010 until 2011.
Human impact on the nitrogen cycle is diverse. Agricultural and industrial nitrogen (N) inputs to the environment currently exceed inputs from natural N fixation. As a consequence of anthropogenic inputs,the global nitrogen cycle (Fig. 1) has been significantly altered over the past century. Global atmospheric nitrous oxide (N2O) mole fractions have increased from a pre-industrial value of ~270 nmol/mol to ~319 nmol/mol in 2005. Human activities account for over one-third of N2O emissions,most of which are due to the agricultural sector. This article is intended to give a brief review of the history of anthropogenic N inputs,and reported impacts of nitrogen inputs on selected terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Samuel Joseph McNaughton is an American ecologist and professor at Syracuse University. He received his Ph.D. at University of Texas-Austin in 1964,and was tenured to Syracuse University in 1966.
Pamela Anne Matson is an American scientist and professor. From 2002 - 2017 she was the dean of the Stanford University School of Earth,Energy &Environmental Sciences. She also previously worked at NASA and at the University of California Berkeley. She is the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Professor in Environmental Studies and a Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment. Matson is a winner of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship,also known as the "genius grant," and is considered to be a "pioneer in the field of environmental science." She was appointed to the "Einstein Professorship" of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2011. She received an honorary doctorate from McGill University in 2017. She is married to fellow scientist Peter Vitousek.
Stephen Russell Carpenter is an American lake ecologist who focuses on lake eutrophication which is the over-enrichment of lake ecosystems leading to toxic blooms of micro-organisms and fish kills.
Gretchen C. Daily is an American environmental scientist and tropical ecologist. She has contributed to understanding humanity's dependence and impacts on nature,and to advancing a systematic approach for valuing nature in policy,finance,management,and practice around the world. Daily is co-founder and faculty director of the Natural Capital Project,a global partnership that aims to mainstream the values of nature into decision-making of people,governments,investors,corporations,NGOs,and other institutions. Together with more than 300 partners worldwide,the Project is pioneering science,technology,and scalable demonstrations of inclusive,sustainable development.
Sarah E. Hobbie is an American ecologist,currently at the University of Minnesota,a National Academy of Sciences Fellow for Ecology,Evolution and Behavior in 2014 and a formerly Minnesota McKnight Land-Grant Professor.
Kathleen Kay Treseder is an American ecologist who specializes in the interplay between global climate change and fungal ecology. She is currently a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California,Irvine. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science,the American Academy of Microbiology,and the Ecological Society of America.
Sharon J. Hall is an ecosystem ecologist and associate professor at the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on ecosystem ecology and the ways that human activity interacts with the environment.
Nancy B. Grimm is an American ecosystem ecologist and professor at Arizona State University. Grimm's substantial contributions to the understanding of urban and arid ecosystem biogeochemistry are recognized in her numerous awards. Grimm is an elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union,Ecological Society of America,and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Pamela H. Templer is an ecosystem ecologist and professor at Boston University who focuses on plant-microbial interaction and their effect on carbon exchange and nutrient cycling. She is also interested in examining how urban ecosystems function,how human actions influence nutrient cycling,atmosphere-biosphere interactions,and other ecosystem processes.
Christine Goodale is an ecosystem ecologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University. Goodale conducts research that studies the cycling of water,carbon,nitrogen and other nutrients through forest ecosystems.
Elvira Cuevas Viera is a Puerto Rican ecologist. She is a professor in the department of biology at University of Puerto Rico,Río Piedras Campus where she serves as director of the Center for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation.
James Elser is an American ecologist and limnologist. He is Director &Bierman Professor of Ecology,Flathead Lake Biological Station,University of Montana and research professor,School of Life Sciences,Arizona State University. He is known for his work in ecological stoichiometry. In 2019,he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
Michelle Cailin Mack is an ecologist working on the connections between plants and climate in polar regions. She is a fellow of the Ecological Society of America and the American Geophysical Union. She currently holds the title of Regent's Professor at Northern Arizona University.