Christen RaunkiaerBorn 29 Mar 1860; died 11 Mar 1938 at age 77.Christen Christensen Raunkaer was a Danish botanist and ecologist remembered for the Raunkiaer's classification he used to categorize vegetation with regard to “life-forms” and study the abundance of plant species in different climates. He recognized that the position of the perennating buds of plants offered greater protection in conditions of cold or drought when they were closer to the ground. His frequency method (cirklingsmetoden) was to register all plants within within 0.1 m², in the form of a square or a circle laid out in several places in the area, with data collected then treated statistically. This was first published in 1905, and expanded in form in 1907. It continues to be used worldwide for vegetation analysis. He was a scientific assistant of the Botanical Garden, Copenhagen (1893-11) and thereafter was a professor of botany at the University of Copenhagen until 1923.« |
