G. Evelyn Hutchinson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
G. Evelyn Hutchinson
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Hutchinson at Yale in 1935
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George Evelyn Hutchinson
January 30, 1903 |
| Died | May 17, 1991 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | English, American (naturalized 1941) |
| Education | Gresham's School |
| Alma mater | Emmanuel College, Cambridge |
| Known for | Founder of American limnology; creating the concept of multi-dimensional ecological niche |
| Spouse(s) | Grace Pickford (m.1928) Margaret Seal (m. 1933) Anne Twitty |
| Awards | Leidy Award (1952) Tyler Prize (1974) Franklin Medal (1979) Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal (1984) Kyoto Prize (1986) National Medal of Science (1991) Fellow of the Royal Society |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Limnology, ecology |
| Institutions | Yale University |
| Doctoral students |
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George Evelyn Hutchinson (January 30, 1903 – May 17, 1991) was a famous British scientist. Many people call him the "father of modern ecology." Ecology is the study of how living things interact with each other and their environment.
Hutchinson studied many different fields. These included limnology (the study of freshwater systems), ecology, and even art history. He spent over sixty years learning and sharing new ideas. He was one of the first to use mathematics in ecology. He became a world expert on lakes. He wrote a huge four-volume book called Treatise on Limnology.
Hutchinson earned his degree in zoology from Cambridge University. He chose not to get a doctorate degree. He spent almost his whole career at Yale University in the United States. There, he taught and worked closely with his students.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Hutchinson was born in 1903 in Cambridge, England. His father, Arthur, was a mineralogist at the University of Cambridge. Evelyn grew up around many smart people. Some were even sons of the famous scientist Charles Darwin.
From a young age, Hutchinson loved nature. By age five, he was already collecting water creatures. He built his own aquariums to study them. He wanted to see how they lived in their natural homes.
He went to Gresham's School in Norfolk. This school was special because it focused on science and math. It was here that he first noticed how different living things needed different chemical environments. He then studied zoology at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and finished his studies in 1925.
Personal Life
Hutchinson was married three times. His first wife, Grace Pickford, was also a scientist. They were married for a short time.
He met his second wife, Margaret Seal, on a boat trip. She was a musician. They shared a love for music, books, and art. They were married for fifty years and did not have children. Margaret passed away in 1983.
Hutchinson married his third wife, Anne Twitty, when he was in his eighties. She was a biologist. He outlived all three of his wives. He died in London on May 17, 1991.
Starting His Science Career
After college, Hutchinson traveled to Italy. He wanted to study octopuses. Then he went to South Africa. There, he discovered limnology, which is the study of freshwater systems like lakes and rivers. He studied the shallow lakes near Cape Town.
He became a world expert on lakes. His major book, Treatise on Limnology, was first published in 1957. In 1928, he started teaching zoology at Yale University. He traveled a lot, exploring new parts of the world. His students at Yale inspired him to research many new areas.
Important Research Discoveries
Studying Life in Italy
When he was 22, Hutchinson went to Italy. He wanted to study the branchial gland of the octopus. He thought it might be an endocrine gland, which makes hormones. But there weren't enough octopuses for his research. He loved Italy and returned often to study art and his family history.
Discovering Limnology in South Africa
In 1926, Hutchinson worked in Johannesburg, South Africa. He studied South African water bugs. When he started, only 14 types were known. By the time he finished, there were almost 40!
It was in South Africa that he truly found his passion for limnology. He loved how it combined his interests in nature, water creatures, and chemistry. He noticed how different lakes had different chemicals, plants, and animals. He spent a lot of time researching lakes in places like Morgans Bay and St Lucia.
Exploring High-Altitude Lakes in India
In 1932, Hutchinson joined an expedition to North India. He wanted to be the first to study lakes high up in the mountains. He compared them to lakes at lower heights. This trip taught him a lot about how animals and plants are spread out.
He found that most high-altitude lakes had no fish. Small creatures called crustaceans were the top predators. He wrote letters to his wife describing the different water chemistry. He collected many samples for other scientists to study. This trip led to his first book, The Clear Mirror. It described the colors, animals, and people of Ladakh.
Understanding Energy Flow in Lakes
Much of Hutchinson's work on American limnology happened at Linsley Pond in Connecticut. He studied small lakes. He looked at things like how chemicals layered in the water and how much oxygen was missing.
His four-volume Treatise on Limnology became a key book for students. He helped expand limnology to include ecology and biogeochemistry. He also pushed for using math in limnology.
His student, Raymond Lindeman, helped him develop the idea of "trophic dynamic energy flow." They studied how energy moves through a lake's food web. They used a system to show how many steps energy had to go through to reach an organism. This helped them measure how efficient an ecosystem was.
Using Radioisotopes in Research
Hutchinson was also the first to use radioisotopes to track things in nature. With his student Vaughan Bowen, he helped create a new field called Radiation Ecology. They used Linsley Pond again. They put a small amount of a radioisotope into the water. A week later, they measured it at different depths. They found that aquatic plants in shallow water had absorbed most of it.
Developing the Ecological Niche Idea
Hutchinson and his students helped make American ecology more scientific. He built on Charles Elton's idea of an ecological niche. He described a niche as a complex "multi-dimensional hyperspace." This means it's like an imaginary space where all an organism's needs and traits are defined.
He also created the idea of "Circular Causal Systems." This means that living things and their environment are tightly linked. The actions of organisms affect the cycles of chemicals. These cycles, in turn, affect the organisms. He said that changes in how much life a system could support were linked to available nutrients. This led to the development of systems ecology by his student H.T. Odum.
His Lasting Impact
Hutchinson brought new ideas about ecology from Europe to America. Before him, ecology was mostly just studying natural history. After him, it became important to study the physical and chemical parts of ecosystems too.
He also talked about climate change 30 years before it became a popular topic. As early as 1947, he taught his students that more carbon dioxide in the air would make the Earth warmer. He thought about why animals go extinct and how to manage resources. He also studied endangered cultures. He did all this decades before these issues became big concerns.
Because of his many contributions, he is called the "Father of Modern Ecology." Many of his students became important ecologists themselves. He was also the first to explain the "paradox of the plankton" in 1961.
After his death, a scientist named Yvette H. Edmondson said that Hutchinson's passing marked the end of an era. She felt that his unique mind had lit up science in a special way.
In 1982, a science group honored Hutchinson. They created the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Award. This award is given every year to someone who shows great work in limnology or oceanography.
Awards and Honors
Hutchinson received many awards for his work:
- He was chosen to be part of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1949.
- He joined the National Academy of Sciences in 1950.
- He became a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1956.
- He won the Leidy Award in 1952.
- He received the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal in 1984.
- He was elected to the Royal Society in 1983.
- He was awarded the Kyoto Prize in 1986.
- He received the National Medal of Science in 1991, after he had passed away.
See also
- Hutchinson's ratio
- Hutchinson's rule
