Dr. Daniel Trembly MacDougal (March 16, 1865 – February 22, 1958) was an American
botanist
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
and writer. He is known for his work on desert ecology and as the earliest botanist to research
Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll (also chlorophyl) is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words , ("pale green") and , ("leaf"). Chlorophyll allow plants to a ...
. He was the inventor of the ''MacDougal dendrograph,'' used to record changes in the volumes of tree trunks. He was a pioneer in studying the idea of
Mutation Theory
Mutationism is one of several alternatives to evolution by natural selection that have existed both before and after the publication of Charles Darwin's 1859 book ''On the Origin of Species''. In the theory, mutation was the source of novelty, cr ...
for controlling evolution. He helped to establish two botanical laboratories, the Desert Laboratory in
Tucson, Arizona
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
, and the Coastal Laboratory in
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its natural scenery and ric ...
.
Early life
MacDougal was born on March 16, 1865, in
Liberty, Indiana
Liberty is a town in Center Township, Union County, Indiana, Center Township, Union County, Indiana, Union County, Indiana, United States of America. The population was 2,000 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of ...
. His father was Alexander MacDougal (1832–1912) and his mother was Amanda Malvina Showalter (1834–1923). He married Louise Fisher on January 24, 1893. They had only one child during their marriage.
[
In 1894 he received his Master of Science from ]DePauw University
DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the G ...
. He received his Doctor of Philosophy from Purdue University
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
. He subsequently held posts as a post doctoral studies at the universities of Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
and Tübingen
Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...
, Germany.[
]
Career
MacDougal was employed by the United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...
to collect specimens in Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
and Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
during the summers of 1891 and 1892. He taught plant physiology
Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. Closely related fields include plant morphology (structure of plants), plant ecology (interactions with the environment), phytochemistry (bi ...
at the University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
between 1893 and 1899. He was a member of the Tropical Plant Commission.[
Between 1899 and 1906 he worked at the ]New York Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is a botanical garden at Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City. Established in 1891, it is located on a site that contains a landscape with over one million living plants; the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, ...
(NYBG). Initially he was the Director of the laboratories. In 1900, he wrote his first book ''Elementary plant physiology,'' that is about the study of the functions of plants. In 1904 he was promoted to Assistant Director. Here he began his experiments to prove the Mutation Theory
Mutationism is one of several alternatives to evolution by natural selection that have existed both before and after the publication of Charles Darwin's 1859 book ''On the Origin of Species''. In the theory, mutation was the source of novelty, cr ...
, a theory stating that the evolution is a process of mutations that generate new species.[
He attended the lectures, in United States, by Dutch ]botanist
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
Hugo de Vries
Hugo Marie de Vries () (16 February 1848 – 21 May 1935) was a Dutch botanist and one of the first geneticists. He is known chiefly for suggesting the concept of genes, rediscovering the laws of heredity in the 1890s while apparently unaware of ...
on Mutation Theory. In 1905 he helped published Hugo de Vries
Hugo Marie de Vries () (16 February 1848 – 21 May 1935) was a Dutch botanist and one of the first geneticists. He is known chiefly for suggesting the concept of genes, rediscovering the laws of heredity in the 1890s while apparently unaware of ...
's lectures into a book ''Species and Varieties: Their Origin by Mutation.''[
MacDougal was seen as an expert on ]desert ecology
Desert ecology is the study of interactions between both biotic and abiotic components of desert environments. A desert ecosystem is defined by interactions between organisms, the climate in which they live, and any other non-living influences o ...
. He was one of the first botanists to research Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll (also chlorophyl) is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words , ("pale green") and , ("leaf"). Chlorophyll allow plants to a ...
. In 1905 he was involved in the establishment of the Plant Desert Laboratory in Tucson, Arizona
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
, where he continued his experiments for several years with breeding studies on the Oenothera
''Oenothera'' is a genus of about 145 species of herbaceous flowering plants native to the Americas. It is the type genus of the family Onagraceae. Common names include evening primrose, suncups, and sundrops. They are not closely related to ...
(evening primrose). He became its first director.[
In 1905, he wrote the book ''Mutants and Hybrids of the Oenotheras'' when he was at the ]Carnegie Institution
The Carnegie Institution of Washington (the organization's legal name), known also for public purposes as the Carnegie Institution for Science (CIS), is an organization in the United States established to fund and perform scientific research. Th ...
in Washington, D.C. In 1906 he became Director of Botanical
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
Research at the Carnegie. He remained associated with this research institute until his retirement in 1933. At Carnegie, he made a contribution to plant ecology in 1918 with the invention of an auxographic instrument, the ''MacDougal dendrograph,'' an instrument for measuring the changes in the volumes of tree trunks. His dendrograph was used in the Forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...
industry for studying tree growth.[
]
Carmel-by-the-Sea
In 1909, MacDougal established the Coastal Laboratory at the Outlands in the Eighty Acres
Outlands in the Eighty Acres, also known as Flanders Mansion is an 8,000-square-foot Tudor Revival house. It is significant as a work of architect Henry Higby Gutterson and for its innovative construction with light grey interlocking Precast concr ...
in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its natural scenery and ric ...
, where he conducted research on the Monterey pine (Pinus radiata
''Pinus radiata'' ( syn. ''Pinus insignis''), the Monterey pine, insignis pine or radiata pine, is a species of pine native to the Central Coast of California and Mexico (Guadalupe Island and Cedros island). It is an evergreen conifer in the fa ...
).[ At Carnegie, he wrote publications on the studies of tree growth and their ]hydrostatic
Fluid statics or hydrostatics is the branch of fluid mechanics that studies the condition of the equilibrium of a floating body and submerged body "fluids at hydrostatic equilibrium and the pressure in a fluid, or exerted by a fluid, on an imme ...
systems. His book ''Growth in Trees'' was published in 1921 and encompasses 18 years of research in Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, California, Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
, Mexico and the Libyan Desert
The Libyan Desert (not to be confused with the Libyan Sahara) is a geographical region filling the north-eastern Sahara Desert, from eastern Libya to the Western Desert of Egypt and far northwestern Sudan. On medieval maps, its use predates t ...
. It was one of the first books to include information about the growth of trees across North America.
MacDougal studied the vegetation at the Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly saline body of water in Riverside and Imperial counties at the southern end of the U.S. state of California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault within the Salton Trough that stretches to the Gulf o ...
, a basin flooded with water from the Colorado River
The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...
. In 1914, he wrote the book ''The Salton Sea: A Study of the Geography, the Geology, the Floristics, and the Ecology of the Desert Basin.''[
]
Awards and honors
MacDougal received multiple honors in his lifetime. He was a member of several scientific organizations, including the Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen
The Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen (Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities), located on the east side of the Spaarne in downtown Haarlem, Netherlands, was established in 1752 and is the oldest society for the sci ...
and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
. He was an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
and the Botanical Society of Scotland
The Botanical Society of Scotland (BSS) is the national learned society for botanists of Scotland. The Society's aims are to advance knowledge and appreciation of flowering and cryptogamic plants, algae and fungi. The Society's activities includ ...
.[
In 1956 he received a career award from the ]Botanical Society of America
The Botanical Society of America (BSA) represents professional and amateur botanists, researchers, educators and students in over 80 countries of the world. It functions as a United States nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership society.
History
The soci ...
. He received honorary degrees from DePauw University in 1912 and the University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
in 1915. In 1950 he was the honorary president of the International Botanical Congress
International Botanical Congress (IBC) is an international meeting of botanists in all scientific fields, authorized by the International Association of Botanical and Mycological Societies (IABMS) and held every six years, with the location rotat ...
in Stockholm. In 1956 he was awarded the New York Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is a botanical garden at Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City. Established in 1891, it is located on a site that contains a landscape with over one million living plants; the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, ...
's first Certificate of Distinguished Service.[
]
Death
MacDougal died on February 22, 1958, in Pacific Grove, California
Pacific Grove is a coastal city in Monterey County, California, in the United States. The population at the 2020 census was 15,090. Pacific Grove is located between Point Pinos and Monterey.
Pacific Grove has numerous Victorian-era houses, so ...
, at the age of 92. Funeral services were held in the Little Chapel-by-the-Sea Crematorium in Pacific Grove. Inurnment was at St. Paul's Cemetery, Yakima, Washington
Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, and the state's 11th-largest city by population. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The uninco ...
.
Publications
''Elementary plant physiology''
(1900)
''Mutants and hybrids of the Oenotheras''
(1905)
''Species and Varieties: Their Origin by Mutation''
(1905)
''Mutations, variations, and relationships of the Oenotheras''
(1907)
''The water-balance of succulent plants''
(1910)
''The Salton Sea: A Study of the Geography, the Geology, the Floristics, and the Ecology of the Desert Basin''
(1914)
''Hydration and growth''
(1920)
''Growth In Trees''
(1921)
References
External links
MacDougal, Daniel Trembly (1865–1958)
McDougal, Daniel Trembly
The Battling Botanist: Daniel Trembly MacDougal, Mutation Theory, and the Rise of Experimental Evolutionary Biology in America, 1900–1912
Index of Botanists
{{DEFAULTSORT:MacDougal, Daniel Trembly
1865 births
1958 deaths
19th-century American botanists
20th-century American scientists
Scientists from California
People from Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
People from Indiana
Purdue University alumni