CALIFORNIA PHENOLOGY
  • Home
  • About
    • People >
      • Faculty & Staff
    • Phenological Research
    • Progress
    • Project Description
    • Project Plan
    • Related Projects
  • Get Involved!
    • 100 Club
    • CCH Meetings
    • Volunteers
  • Resources
    • Data Portal Tutorials >
      • CCH2 Survey Q&A
    • Digitization FAQ / Help page
    • Document Library
    • Equipment Recommendations
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Georeferencing >
      • Georeferencing in CCH2 Training Course
      • Georeferencing in CoGe Training Course
      • Georeferencing Protocols and Guides
      • Georeferencing Webinar
    • Phenological Scoring
    • Sensitive Taxa in CCH2
    • Workflow & Protocols
    • Webinars
  • Research
    • Presentations and Posters
    • Papers and Publications
  • Education
    • Educational Materials
    • Phenology Research Course
    • Media & News
    • Meetings & Upcoming Talks
  • Blog
  • Data Portal

Not all Plant Collectors are Botanists: in Memory of Harry Fierstine

9/3/2021

0 Comments

 
This week we pause to remember a biologist near and dear to the California community, a dedicated devotee to exploring and explaining the natural world who passed away this April: Dr. Harry Fierstine.
Dr. Fierstine was a native of California; he earned his PhD at UCLA and then moved to San Luis Obispo, where he taught biology, zoology, comparative anatomy, and ichthyology (the study of fish) at California Polytechnic State University for 29 years. However, like most natural scientists, Dr. Fierstine's curiosity was much broader, and his publications profess an interest across the globe. He studied fossils of marlin from California to Virginia, South Carolina to the Philippines. In one, almost comical study, Dr. Fierstine examined the rostra (beak-like "noses") of supposed swordfish that had been found embedded in the hulls of wooden ships from the early 19th century (Fierstine & Crimmin, 1996). By measuring the rostra and studying their shape, he and a colleague determined that the rostra belonged not to swordfish (Xiphias gladius), but marlins (Makaira spp.). Prior to this study, few scientists had recognized this "spearing" behavior in marlins. Dr. Fierstine contributed much to  our understanding of these enormous, mysterious fish.
Although his studies primarily concerned fish and fossils, Dr. Fierstine also collected plants. His specimens, characterized by orderly, hand-written labels and beautifully-pressed plants, are largely preserved in the Robert F. Hoover Herbarium at Cal Poly. Thirty-four have been uncovered so far, but many continue to come to light as we catalog the thousands of specimens in this herbarium.
These 34 specimens commemorate a trip that Dr. Fierstine took to Larimer county, Colorado, in the summer of 1971. As he traveled in the mountains near Fort Collins, he documented the stunning diversity of the Rocky Mountains, like the alpine clover (Trifolium dasyphyllum) shown on the right, a species endemic to high elevations in the west-central U.S. His specimens speak to a deep interest in the natural world, in and out of the ocean. We are saddened by his passing, but thankful for his contributions to science during his full and productive life.
Picture
Works cited
  • Fierstine HL, Crimmin O. 1996. Two erroneous, commonly cited examples of "swordfish" piercing wooden ships. Copeia. 2:472-475.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    August 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Categories

    All
    Collctors
    Scientific Names
    Taxonomy
    Type Specimen
    Veterans

Picture
This project made possible by National Science Foundation Award 1802312.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.


Poppy images courtesy of Matt Ritter

Contact Us