author
Frederic E. (Frederic Edward) Clements
1874–1945
A pioneering American plant ecologist, he helped shape early ideas about how plant communities change over time. His work on vegetation succession made him one of the most influential ecology writers of the early twentieth century.
1 Audiobook
Research methods in ecology
by Frederic E. (Frederic Edward) Clements
About the author
Frederic Edward Clements was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1874 and studied botany at the University of Nebraska, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1894 and his doctorate in 1898. He later taught at Nebraska, led the botany department at the University of Minnesota, and went on to conduct long-term research with the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
He is best remembered as a pioneer of plant ecology and for his major role in developing the study of vegetation succession — the way plant communities change and develop over time. His writing and field research helped establish ecology as a serious scientific discipline in the United States.
Clements also worked closely with his wife, botanist Edith Schwartz Clements, in a long scientific partnership. Together they were linked to important research centers in places such as Pikes Peak and Santa Barbara, and his influence continued well beyond his lifetime after his death in 1945.