Professor Herbert George Andrewartha, BS (UWA), MAgSc (Melb), DSc (Adel),

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

, (21 December 1907 – 27 January 1992) was a distinguished

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n research scientist in the fields of

entomology Entomology () is the science, scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such ...

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

and

animal ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their biophysical environment, physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosy ...

Early life

Andrewartha was born the second of three children, on 21 December 1907 in

Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

to George and Elsie. His father was a teacher, and the family moved frequently from school to school with the education department, in rural Western Australia. Andrewartha received his Bachelor of Agriculture from the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

. He later received his doctorate from the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

in 1972.

Career

Andrewartha became the most influential Australian ecologist, best known for attributing density-independent forces, such as weather, to be even more important than density-dependent factors in influencing population regulation. In 1933, Andrewartha began his studies on apple thrips, '' Thrips imaginis'', but later transitioned his studies to the plague grasshopper, ''

Austroicetes ''Austroicetes'' is a genus of grasshoppers in the subfamily Oedipodinae (''incertae sedis'') and family Acrididae. Members of the genus typically feed on grass and herbs. Species Several species were placed previously in the genus '' Chortoice ...

'', when he moved to Adelaide in 1935. This led to his first publication with his former student

Charles Birch Louis Charles Birch (1918–2009) was an Australian geneticist specialising in population ecology and was also well known as a theologian, writing widely on the topic of science and religion, winning the Templeton Prize in 1990. The prize recogn ...

in 1941, "The influence of weather on grasshopper plagues in South Australia". In 1945, when his mentor James Davidson died, Andrewartha inherited 15 years of data collected on

thrips Thrips ( order Thysanoptera) are minute (mostly long or less), slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Different thrips species feed mostly on plants by puncturing and sucking up the contents, although a few are ...

population. After several years of statistical analysis of that data, Andrewartha and Birch demonstrated strong connections between thrips physiology, population levels, and other environment factors. This led to the publication of two major books, ''The Distribution and Abundance of Animals'' (1954) and ''The Ecological Web'' (1984). Through this work, Andrewartha and Birch found a new school of population ecology, which emphasized the role of environmental controls as opposed to a community-dependent approach based on density-dependent factors. The joint work of Andrewartha and Birch earned them the "Eminent Ecologist Award" from the

Ecological Society of America The Ecological Society of America (ESA) is a professional organization of ecological scientists. Based in the United States and founded in 1915, ESA publications include peer-reviewed journals, newsletters, fact sheets, and teaching resources. I ...

, which had never before been presented jointly to two persons The following timeline depicts the scope of his employment, responsibilities and publications throughout his career— *1929 Entomologist in the Department of Agriculture of Western Australia *1933 Biologist, CSIR, Melbourne and worked the School of Agriculture and Forestry at the University of Melbourne *1935–1954

Entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

at the

Waite Agricultural Research Institute The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

*1952 President of the

Royal Society of South Australia The Royal Society of South Australia (RSSA) is a learned society whose interest is in science, particularly, but not only, of South Australia. The major aim of the society is the promotion and diffusion of scientific knowledge, particularly in rel ...

(RSSA) *1954 ''The Distribution and Abundance of Animals'' published *1954–1962 Reader in

Animal Ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their biophysical environment, physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosy ...

*1961 ''Introduction to the Study of Animal Populations'' published *1961

Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science The Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Science is made up of about 500 Australian scientists. Scientists judged by their peers to have made an exceptional contribution to knowledge in their field may be elected to Fellowship of the Academy. ...

(FAA) *1962–1972 Professor of

Zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

, University of Adelaide (

Emeritus Professor ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

1973) *1984 ''The ecological web : more on the distribution and abundance of animals'' published

Significant work

*General theory of the distribution and abundance of animals *The ecology of '' Thrips imaginis'' *The ecology of ''

Austroicetes cruciata ''Austroicetes'' is a genus of grasshoppers in the subfamily Oedipodinae (''incertae sedis'') and family Acrididae. Members of the genus typically feed on grass and herbs. Species Several species were placed previously in the genus '' Chortoice ...

'' *

Diapause In animal dormancy, diapause is the delay in development in response to regular and recurring periods of adverse environmental conditions.Tauber, M.J., Tauber, C.A., Masaki, S. (1986) ''Seasonal Adaptations of Insects''. Oxford University Press It ...

, period of suspended development in an invertebrate, or mammal embryo, especially during poor environmental conditions *The Queensland fruitfly '' Dacus tryoni''

Honours and awards

Andrewartha received many prestigious awards including the Clarke Medal from the Royal Society of New South Wales, Verco Medal from the Royal Society of South Australia, and the Gold Medal from Australian Ecological Society in 1987. He was President of the Nature Conservation Society of South Australia and Chairman of the National Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council of South Australia. *1954

David Syme Research Prize The David Syme Research Prize is an annual award administered by the University of Melbourne for the best original research work in biology, physics, chemistry or geology, produced in Australia during the preceding two years, particular preference ...

of the University of Melbourne (with Charles Birch) *1962

Verco Medal The Royal Society of South Australia (RSSA) is a learned society whose interest is in science, particularly, but not only, of South Australia. The major aim of the society is the promotion and diffusion of scientific knowledge, particularly in rel ...

of the

*1968

Clarke Medal The Clarke Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of New South Wales, the oldest learned society in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere, for distinguished work in the Natural sciences. The medal is named in honour of the Reverend William Bran ...

of the

Royal Society of New South Wales The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. The Governor of New South Wales is the vice-regal patron of the Society. The Society was established as the Philosophical Society of Australasia on 27 June ...

*1987 Gold Medal of the Australian Ecological Society *1988 Eminent Ecologist Award of the Ecological Society of America for 1988 to Andrewartha and Birch

Publications

*1954: ''The Distribution and Abundance of Animals''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press (with

) *1961: ''Introduction to the Study of Animal Populations''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; London: Methuen & Co *1971: ''Introduction to the Study of Animal Populations'', 2nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; London: Methuen & Co which includes additional information and adjustments. *1984: '' The Ecological Web''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press (with

)

Retirement and death

Andrewartha retired in 1972. In 1975 he suffered a serious stroke, but continued writing his last book with Birch. He died on 27 January 1992 at the age of 84. He married Harriett Vevers Steele, herself a trained entomologist, in Melbourne in 1935. Predeceased by his wife, Andrewartha was survived by his son Graeme and daughter Susan Dutch.

Legacy

The HG Andrewartha Medal of the

,The HG Andrewartha Medal
,

was established to recognise ''outstanding'' research by an early-career, young Australian scientist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andrewartha, Herbert 1907 births 1992 deaths Australian entomologists Australian ecologists Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science 20th-century Australian zoologists University of Adelaide alumni University of Western Australia alumni