Tom Fenchel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tom Fenchel
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| Born | 19 March 1940 Copenhagen, Denmark |
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| Thesis | The ecology of marine microbenthos IV : structure and function of the benthic ecosystem, its chemical and physical factors and the microfauna communities with special reference to the ciliated protozoa (1969) |
| Website | www1 |
Tom Michael Fenchel is a famous Danish scientist. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on March 19, 1940. He is a marine ecologist, which means he studies how living things interact in the ocean.
Fenchel has been a professor at the University of Aarhus and the University of Copenhagen. He is known for his important ideas in science, like Fenchel's Law and the Microbial loop. Many other scientists have used his work.
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Becoming a Scientist
Tom Fenchel studied at the University of Copenhagen. He earned his first advanced degree, a PhD, in 1964. Later, in 1969, he received an even higher degree called a Doctor of Science. These degrees show that he spent many years studying and researching complex topics.
Important Discoveries
Tom Fenchel is famous for two big ideas that changed how scientists understand ocean life.
Fenchel's Law
Fenchel's Law explains how tiny living things, called microorganisms, grow and live in different environments. It says that the smaller an organism is, the faster it can grow. This is because smaller organisms have a larger surface area compared to their volume. This helps them take in food and get rid of waste quickly. This law helps scientists understand how small creatures like bacteria and protozoa survive.
The Microbial Loop
The Microbial loop is another key idea from Fenchel. It describes how energy and nutrients move through the ocean's food web. In the ocean, tiny plants called phytoplankton make food using sunlight. When these plants die or are eaten, they release dissolved organic matter. Very small organisms, like bacteria, then use this matter as food. These bacteria are then eaten by even tinier animals, like protozoa. This process brings energy back into the main food web. It's like a recycling system for nutrients in the ocean.
Awards and Honors
Tom Fenchel has received many important awards for his scientific work.
- He is a foreign member of the Royal Society. This is a very old and respected group of scientists in the United Kingdom.
- He was also a reviewing editor for Science, a top scientific magazine.
- In 1986, he won the ECI Prize for his work in ecology. He even wrote a book for the "Excellence in Ecology" series.
- From 2004 to 2008, he was the president of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. He has been a member of this group since 1976.
- In 2006, he received the A.C. Redfield Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognized his many years of important work in studying lakes and oceans.
- He is also a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
- He is a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States.
These awards show how much his work has helped us understand the natural world, especially the tiny life in our oceans.
