Howard T. Odum
Howard Thomas Odum ( born September 1, 1924 in Durham, North Carolina; † 11 September 2002 in Gainesville, Florida ) was an American ecologist.
Life
Like his older brother Eugene, who was also known ecologist, he was persuaded by his father, the sociologist Howard W. Odum, to study Biology with specialization in ecology. He first began studying zoology at the University of North Carolina, which he graduated in 1947 from interruptions during the Second World War, where he worked as Tropenmeteorologe for the United States Air Force. At Yale University he studied until receipt of his PhDs in 1951, among others at GE Hutchinson. He specialized in Biogeochemistry and explored the strontium cycle.
He held professorships in the following years, among others at the University of Texas, the University of Puerto Rico and the University of North Carolina, until he finally in 1971 came to the University of Florida, where he worked until his death in 2002, and the Center for Wetlands justified.
Work
His 1957 study published over the lake Silver Springs, Florida is considered the first comprehensive analysis of a natural ecosystem. He determined the energy budget of the lake by first anfertigte a holistic model of the lake and then all of the individual components accurately determined ( sunshine, rain, etc.).
In another study, which he performed together with his brother in the reefs of Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands, he showed that coral reefs form a relatively independent ecosystem and not, as previously assumed, their energy to escape from the sea surrounding it, but from remove algae that produce simple organic substances for corals and get their carbon dioxide in return.
Awards (selection)
- George Mercer Award in 1956 for work on the Eniwetok Atoll ( Eugene P. Odum together with )
- Institute de la Vie Prize, Paris 1976
- University of Florida Presidential Medal 1976
- Crafoord Prize 1987 ( together with Eugene P. Odum )
Writings (selection )
- Fundamentals of Ecology, 1953 ( with Eugene P. Odum )
- Environment, Power and Society, 1971
- Energy Basis for Man and Nature, 1976
- Systems Ecology: an Introduction, 1983