Erik Jarvik
Anders Erik Vilhelm Jarvik ( born November 30, 1907 in Utby, Sweden, † January 11, 1998 in Stockholm, Sweden) was a Swedish Paläozoologe, which was known for its intensive work on Eusthenopteron foordi ( Sarcopterygii ). In its over 60 -year career Jarvik produced such a detailed anatomy of this fish that Eusthenopteron as the most best-studied fossil applies.
Life
Jarvik was born on a farm in Utby in Västergötland. He studied until 1937, botany, zoology, geology and paleontology at the University of Uppsala. In 1942 he was awarded his doctorate on the topic over the structure of the snout at Crossopterygiern and lower Gnathostomen in general. He had participated in the 1932 Greenland expedition of Gunnar Save-Soderbergh and was from 1937 assistant at the Department of Palaeozoology the Swedish Museum of History in Stockholm. In 1960, his teacher Erik Jarvik Stensio as a professor and department head. In 1972 he retired from professional life.
Scientific Work
Jarviks scientific work largely related to Sarcopterygii. His main interest was the Rhipidistia, which he divided into two groups: the Osteolepiformes and Porolepiformes. He has published several descriptive papers on the Devonian Sarcopterygii. In particular, he added, with detailed studies of the anatomy of the cranium of Eusthenopteron foordi. The techniques used here were also used in studies on the cranium of Glyptolepis groenlandica.
Jarvik suggested some controversial hypotheses about the basic structure of the Vertebratenschädels and on the origin of tetrapods. His views were hardly accepted and not accepted in today's paleontology. Nevertheless, about his conception of the dual origin of tetrapods has not yet been " off the table ". Characteristic of him was an extremely " idealistic " antifunktionalistischer position in morphology - if it all ( " intended " ) approximately at each gill arch wanted to find parts violently ( " situated in front of the arch " ) also at the two prämandibulären, for their jemalige existence there is no ( other accepted ) documents.
Jarvik also studied the anatomy and relationships of lung fish, which he regarded as relatively primitive gnathostomata, supposedly most closely related to Holocephali ( Jarvik 1980b ). Jarvik also contributed to a number of classical problems in comparative anatomy, so the emergence of vertebrates, or the homology of the frontal and parietal bones in fishes and tetrapods. Also used to derive the ossicles he had opinions ( Jarvik 1980b ).
Some of Jarviks views on the origin of vertebrates are back in full contrast with the general view of paleontologists. Nevertheless, his anatomical work on Eusthenopteron foordi have laid the foundations for modern research on transitional species between fish and tetrapods. Finally Jarvik continued to investigate the anatomy of Ichthyostega so thorough and detailed that this results in a unique monograph with a variety of photographic documentation was created (which had already been made in the years 1929-1955 ). However, he did examine the fossil during the almost 50 years of investigation, no other experts. Only after his death simple error in its interim reports were corrected.
Jarvik was a member of the Swedish Academy of Sciences and the French Academy of Sciences and the Knights of the Wasaordens. The lungfish Jarvikia and Osteolepiforme Jarvikina were named after him.
Writings
- Théories de l' évolution of Vertebres reconsidérées à la lumière sur les of récentes découvertes Vertebres Inférieurs. Masson, Paris 1960.
- Basic Structure and Evolution of Vertebrates, 2 Vols. Academic Press, London 1980