Gunnar Thorson
Encyclopedia
Gunnar Axel Wright Thorson (31 December 190625 January 1971) was a Danish
marine zoologist and ecologist.
He studied at the University of Copenhagen
under the professors C.G. Johannes Petersen
, August Krogh
, Theodor Mortensen, Ragnar Spärck and Carl Wesenberg-Lund
. In 1957, Thorson was appointed professor of marine biology
at the University of Copenhagen
.
Thorson studied plankton
ic larva
e of marine benthic
invertebrates. He conceived the idea that in the Tropics
, benthos
tend to produce large numbers of eggs developing into pelagic and widely dispersing larvae, whereas at higher latitudes they tend to produce fewer and larger eggs and offspring. This idea was later coined Thorson's rule
.
Thorson participated in the Three-year Expedition to East Greenland
led by Lauge Koch
. He founded the Marine Biological Laboratory under the University of Copenhagen
and was a professor there 1958-1968.
The icebreaker
HDMS Gunnar Thorson
was named after him.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
marine zoologist and ecologist.
He studied at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
under the professors C.G. Johannes Petersen
C.G. Johannes Petersen
Carl Georg Johannes Petersen was a Danish marine biologist, especially fisheries biologist. He was the first to describe communities of benthic marine invertebrates and is often considered a founder of modern fisheries research....
, August Krogh
August Krogh
Schack August Steenberg Krogh FRS was a Danish professor of Romani background at the department of zoophysiology at the University of Copenhagen from 1916-1945...
, Theodor Mortensen, Ragnar Spärck and Carl Wesenberg-Lund
Carl Wesenberg-Lund
Carl Jørgen Wesenberg-Lund , Dr.Phil., professor of limnology 1922-1939 at the University of Copenhagen, was a Danish zoologist and freshwater ecologist. He was a pioneer in Danish nature conservation early in the 20th century. He was a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters...
. In 1957, Thorson was appointed professor of marine biology
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
.
Thorson studied plankton
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
ic larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e of marine benthic
Benthos
Benthos is the community of organisms which live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone. This community lives in or near marine sedimentary environments, from tidal pools along the foreshore, out to the continental shelf, and then down to the abyssal depths.Many organisms...
invertebrates. He conceived the idea that in the Tropics
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
, benthos
Benthos
Benthos is the community of organisms which live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone. This community lives in or near marine sedimentary environments, from tidal pools along the foreshore, out to the continental shelf, and then down to the abyssal depths.Many organisms...
tend to produce large numbers of eggs developing into pelagic and widely dispersing larvae, whereas at higher latitudes they tend to produce fewer and larger eggs and offspring. This idea was later coined Thorson's rule
Thorson's rule
Thorson's rule states that benthic marine invertebrates at low latitudes tend to produce large numbers of eggs developing to pelagic and widely-dispersing larvae, whereas at high latitudes such organisms tend to produce fewer and larger lecithotrophic eggs and larger...
.
Thorson participated in the Three-year Expedition to East Greenland
Three-year Expedition to East Greenland
The Three-year Expedition was an exploratory expedition to East Greenland that lasted from 1931 to 1934 financed by the Carlsberg Foundation and the Danish state. It was led by Lauge Koch. The other participants were Danish and Swedish geographers, geologists, archaeologists, zoologists and...
led by Lauge Koch
Lauge Koch
Lauge Koch was a Danish geologist and Arctic explorer.He was the renowned leader of 24 Danish government expeditions to Greenland, and the central character in the Lauge Koch Controversy, an international and intra-national conflict...
. He founded the Marine Biological Laboratory under the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
and was a professor there 1958-1968.
The icebreaker
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
HDMS Gunnar Thorson
HDMS Gunnar Thorson (A560)
The HDMS Gunnar Thorson is a Danish environmental protection vessel built for environmental protection and preservation purposes in 1980-1981. Originally operated by the Danish Ministry of Environmental Protection The HDMS Gunnar Thorson is a Danish environmental protection vessel built for...
was named after him.