Famous Marine Biologists
Marine biologists are the scientists who conduct research on the life and the habitat of water plants and animals. Marine biologists study the aquatic ecosystems, which are conducive for the growth and cultivation of a various species of plants and animals. World-famous marine biologists are listed here.
Marine biology deals with the various species of plant and animal life that live in the oceans, seas or in any water body. The classification of the plant and animal species are not based on taxonomy but on the environment. The modern-day marine biologists have taken up the task of mapping the marine species of animals and plants with the help of latest technology. The marine biologists believe they would be able to explore the deep oceanic depressions to find new species of plant and animal life. Here are some of the world-famous marine biologists.
Adolf Appellöf
Jakob Johan Adolf Appellöf (November 2, 1857 – January 5, 1921) popularly known as Adolf Appellöf was Swedish marine zoologist. In 1877, Adolf Appellöf graduated from the famous University of Uppsala and went on to get his doctorate in zoology in 1886. In 1887, he took up a temporary position of a lecturer in zoology at the same university. Later on, he took up a position of a conservator at the Museum of Bergen, Norway. With the help of a Bunsow, a sawmill magnate, Adolf Appellöf founded Klubban Biological Station of University of Uppsala. This institute specialized in the study of marine biology and was situated on the western coast of Sweden. He was the member of both Royal Swedish Academy and Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala. His research on cephalopods (Mollusk) was a significant contribution to the field of marine biology.
Samuel Stillman Berry
Samuel Stillman (1887 – 1984) was a U.S. marine zoologist. Samuel Stillman Berry graduated from the University of Stanford in the year 1909 and the next year he did his M.S. from Harvard. He specialized in cephalopods and received his doctorate on the same subject from the University of Stanford in the year 1913. For the next five years he worked as a research assistant at the Scripps Institution for Biological Research, California. Later, he continued his research in malacology as an independent researcher. The aspirants of marine biology currently use his research works. He has written over 200 articles in malacology and has discovered 401 mollusc taxa. His work provided insight into various features of chitons, cephalopods and snails.
Carl Chun
Carl Chun (October 1, 1852 – April 11, 1914) was a renowned German marine biologist. He graduated in zoology from the University of Leipzig. In 1892, he was appointed as a professor in the same university. Carl Chun initiated and headed the German deep-sea expedition on August 1, 1898. He along with his team members explored the seas around the continent of Antarctic and also the area near the islands such as Bouvetoya and Kerguelen islands. His researched basically was on cephalopods and plankton. Carl Chun discovered and also named a species of squid as Vampire Squid.
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau (June 11, 1910 – June 25, 1997) was a French researcher and an ecologist who studied the underwater life of animals and plants. He was basically a French naval officer, who was also a popular filmmaker, author and researcher. He is popularly known as Captain Cousteau or Jacques Cousteau. He along with Emily Gagnan (French Engineer) developed the first open-circuit scuba diving equipment known as “Aqua-Lung”. He was a pioneer in marine conservation and a member of Academie Fracaise. Captain Cousteau founded the Underseas Research Group at Toulon and the French office of Underseas Research at Marseille. He was also the director of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.
Anton Dohrn
Anton Dohrn (September 29, 1840 – September 26, 1909) was a German marine biologist. He had mastered not only medicine but also zoology. He received his doctorate in 1865. In 1874, he founded “Stazione Zoologica” in Naples. He was the director of this organization until his death. A thesis which proposed the theory of the origin of vertebrates known as “ Der Ursprung der Wirbelthiere und das Princip des Functionswechsels: Genealogische Skizzen” was submitted by Anton Dohrn in 1875.
Sylvia Alice Earle
Sylvia Alice Earle (August 30, 1935 – ) is an American oceanographer and a renowned marine biologist. Sylvia graduated from the University of Florida in 1955 and went on to achieve her masters from the same university. She received her doctorate from Duke University in 1966. She was a curator of phycology at the Academy of sciences, California, a research associate at University of Berkeley, Harvard University, and also the Radcliff Institute Scholar. In 1970, she headed and led the first women team of aquanauts for a project known as Tektite Project. She was chief scientist for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US. Currently, she is a deep sea explorer-in-residence of National Geographic channel. Sylvia Earle has authored over 125 books on marine science including “Exploring the Deep Frontier”, “The Atlas of the Ocean” and so on.
Bruno Hofer
Bruno Hofer (1861 – 1916) was a German marine scientist and an environmentalist who was born in East Prussia. He completed his studies in Natural Sciences in Konigsberg and worked as a lecturer in the Zoological Institute of Munich. He carried out research and studies in limnology. Bruno studied about the fishes and their habitation. During his lifetime he was the director of “Royal Bavarian Research Station for Fisheries” and the “Royal Bavarian Research Station for Fisheries”. Hofer also served as the vice-president of the “Bavarian Association of Fishermen” and also as the editor of the magazine “Allgemeine Fischereizeitung”. Hofer specialized in fish parasitology and pathology.
William Elford Leach
William Leach (February 2, 1790 – August 26, 1836) was an English marine biologist and a renowned zoologist. he was a qualified medical practitioner who was passionate about marine life and zoology. He worked as a research assistant and a librarian in the Zoological Department at the British Museum. During his tenure in the British Museum he was also in charge of natural history department. William Leach researched widely on crustaceans and mollusks. Insects, birds and mammals were also his field of study. Zoological Miscellany, Synopsis of Mollusca of Great Britain and Systematic catalogue of the Specimens of the Indigenous Mammalia and Birds that are preserved at the British Museum are some of his popular books.
Nicholai Nicholaevich Miklukho-Maklai
Nicholai Maklai (1846 – 1888) was a notable Russian anthropologist, ethnologist and a marine biologist who graduated from St. Petersburg University. He widely traveled throughout the European continent. In Italy, he met Anton Dohrn who instilled the idea of starting a research station. Maklai had shifted his base from Russia to Australia. With the help of Linnean Society he founded a zoological center known as Marine Biological Station in Watsons Bay, Sydney. This was the first marine biological research institute in Australia.
John Murray
John Murray (1841 – 1914) was a famous Scots-Canadian oceanographer and a marine biologist. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh. He is known as the “Father of Modern Oceanography”. Murray coined the term oceanography. John Murray first brought to light the existence of mid-Atlantic ridge and oceanic trenches. One of his major contributions to marine biology was “Bathymetric” survey of 562 freshwater lochs of Scotland. During his lifetime he wrote many articles and journals on oceanography.
Harald Rosenthal
Harald Rosenthal (1937 – ) is a noted German hydrobiologist. Rosenthal completed his education from Freie Universitat Berlin. He later studied hydrobiology and fisheries in Hamburg. Rosenthal presented a thesis on mass rearing of larval herring. He is acknowledged for his research in fish farming and ecology. Harald Rosenthal focused on aquaculture and ballast water. He is the founder and president of World Sturgeon Conservation Society, and is also an active member of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Georg Sars
Georg Sars (April 20, 1837 – April 9, 1927) was a Norwegian marine taxonomist. Sars discovered new species of mysids and ostracods. He researched widely on the various branches of fisheries. Numerous marine invertebrates are given the patronymy of Georg Sars.
Ruth Turner
Ruth Dixon Turner (1915 – 2000) was a renowned marine biologist who researched widely on teredos, a kind of species of mollusks that creates havoc on docks and boats. She graduated from Bridgewater State College and went on to take a doctorate from Harvard. Ruth has published over 200 scientific articles and a book. Turner specialized in shipworm research. Ruth Dixon Turner was the first female marine biologist to make use of Alvin, a deep ocean research submarine.
Charles Wyville Thompson
Charles Wyville Thompson (March 5, 1830 – March 10, 1882) was a Scottish marine biologist who was the chief scientist on the Challenger Expedition. Charles Thompson specialized on the biological conditions of the deep seas. His interest in crinoids prompted him to persuade the Royal Navy to allow him the usage of HMS Lightning and HMS Porcupine for deep sea dredging. Charles threw light on the facts such as the existence of marine life 1200 m below the ocean surface and the entire marine invertebrates are present here. Another fact was deep-sea temperature vary considerably. “The Depths of the Sea” was the book written by Charles Wyville Thompson. He was closely associated with John Murray, the oceanographer.
Alister Clavering Hardy
Alister Clavering Hardy (February 10, 1896 – May 22, 1985) was a marine biologist who was an expert on marine ecosystems and zooplankton. Alister Hardy was one of the chief scientists on the RRS Discovery as part of the Discovery Investigations. He specialized in marine mammals such as whales. Alister Hardy designed and build “Continuous Plankton Recorder” (CPR) to collect the samples of plankton. His research in plankton is continued by an organization called the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS).
Joseph Ayers
Joseph Ayers (November 14, 1947 – ) is a marine biologist who specializes in neurophysiology of the marine life. He graduated from University of California, Riverside and pursued his doctorate in University of California, Santa Cruz. Later on he went on to do his postdoctoral in neurophysiology from Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseilles, France and also from University of California, San Diego. Currently, Joseph Ayers is associated with Biomimetic, an underwater robot program. “Neurotechnology for Biomimetic Robots”, “Biomechanisms of Swimming and Flying”, “Dr. Ayers Cooks with Cognac” and “The C Around Nahant” are some of the research books written by him.
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| By Maya Pillai Published: 9/26/2008 |
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