David Ashton 3230759 152899162 2007-08-22T11:22:48Z SmackBot 433328 Defaultsort for people stubs (and/or gen fixes) Dr '''David Hungerford Ashton''' [[Order of Australia|OAM]] (6 July 1927–22 November 2005) was an [[Australia]]n [[botanist]] and [[ecologist]]. He was the world expert on [[Eucalyptus regnans]] forests, claimed to be the most important timber species in Australia. Ashton was born in [[Melbourne]], [[Australia]]. He received his [[Bachelor of Science]] in 1949, and a [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]] in 1957. He taught for thirty years at the [[University of Melbourne]], from 1962 to 1992, influencing several generations of [[Victoria, Australia|Victorian]] botanists. His professional expertise ranged from [[angiosperms]], [[pteridophytes]], [[bryophytes]], [[lichens]] and [[fungi]]. He was also able to synthesise many biological problems ecologically, especially in [[Eucalyptus regnans|Mountain Ash]] forests including geology, plant and animal species interactions, the effects of fire and climate, insect and seed dispersal. He wrote more than 200 scientific articles in over 20 publications. Since 2000, 'The David Ashton Biodiversity and Ecosystems Award' has been awarded annually for the best Victorian ecological research. He was awarded the [[Order of Australia|Medal of the Order of Australia]] in 2001, "For service to the science of plant ecology, particularly in the areas of forest regeneration, conservation and management."[http://www.science.unimelb.edu.au/community/achievers/] Dr Ashton was not only a world-leading ecologist, he had a particularly attractive personality - not without a roughish sense of humor - and the ability to inspire generations of undergraduates. He was very much alive to the beauty of Nature, and not only wrote scientific articles but was a skilled landscape painter. He was also a gifted piano player. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashton, David}} [[Category:Australian botanists]] [[Category:Australian ecologists]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of Australia Medal]] [[Category:1930 births]] [[Category:2005 deaths]] {{Australia-scientist-stub}} {{botanist-stub}}