Charles EltonBorn 29 Mar 1900; died 1 May 1991 at age 91.English biologist who is credited with describing the “sociology and economy of animals,”thus outlining the basic principles of modern animal ecology. He thought of the “community”as a group of species related through the food chains. Elton developed the idea of a food chain in 1927. He described the way plants get energy from sunlight, plant-eating animals get their energy from eating plants, and meat-eating animals get their energy from eating other animals. Elton's pyramid of numbers shows how energy flow links organisms to form the biological community. In 1932, Elton created the Bureau of Animal Population at Oxford, which was a mecca for ecologists from around the world, until its demise when he retired in 1967. |
