Pioneers of plankton research: Ramon Margalef (1919–2004)
| Type | : | ACL |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | : | Production scientifique |
| Au bénéfice du Laboratoire | : | Oui |
| Statut de publication | : | Publié |
| Année de publication | : | 2024 |
| Auteurs (1) | : | DOLAN John,r |
| Revue scientifique | : | Journal of Plankton Research |
| Volume | : | |
| Fascicule | : | |
| Pages | : | |
| DOI | : | 10.1093/plankt/fbae036 |
| URL | : | https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbae036 |
| Abstract | : | Ramon Margalef (Fig. 1) is featured in this final essay on the pioneers of plankton research. He was, of course, a major figure in the development of ecology in the latter half of the 20th century. Margalef's book, “Perspectives in Ecological Theory” (Margalef, 1968) was a landmark work in ecology. It was glowingly reviewed in Science (Slobodkin, 1969), Nature (Bellamy, 1969) and Limnology and Oceanography (Deevey, 1969). It brought his ideas and perspectives to the attention of ecologists world-wide. During his lifetime, Margalef received many awards and honors, including the first A.G. Huntsman award in 1980, considered the “Nobel Prize of Oceanography” (Peters, 2017). After his death, prestigious awards were named for him such as the Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology created in 2004 by the government of Catalonia (Spain), and the Ramón Margalef Award for Excellence in Education created in 2008 by the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography. Not surprisingly then, there are numerous accounts of the life and career of Margalef (e.g. Ros, 1991, 2005, 2006; Bonnin, 1994; Estrada, 2004, 2005; Armengol, 2005, 2006; Gracia, 2005; Herrera, 2005; Peters, 2010, 2017; Castellvi, 2012; Prat, 2015; Penuelas, 2019; Estrada and Alcaraz, 2020). However, most accounts of Margalef's life underline his considerable accomplishments in advancing ecological theory. Here that aspect will be neglected in favor of highlighting his work as a naturalist and planktologist, the foundation upon which Margalef developed his ideas. It will be shown that the man now recognized as a brilliant theorist, was first a very hardworking, self-taught naturalist who came from a humble background, lived through perilous times, and almost until the end of life, never stopped “getting his hands wet”, the mark of a devoted planktonologist. In the following, the chronology of events given is based on the account of Margalef's life in Bonnin (1994) and Peters (2010). |
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| Fichier attaché | : | - |
| Citation | : |
Dolan JR (2024) Pioneers of plankton research: Ramon Margalef (1919–2004). J Plankton Res | doi: 10.1093/plankt/fbae036
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