Ward Watt

Ward Belfield Watt (October 21, 1940 – October 27, 2024) was an American evolutionary biologist who was a professor of biology at Stanford University. He was known for studying evolution using biochemical, physiological, and ecological approaches. For over 50 years, Watt conducted field studies at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, CO.[1] There he worked primarily on Colias butterflies.[2] He developed these butterflies into a model system for the study of natural selection in the wild. He was known for studying the impact of wing pigmentation polymorphism on thermoregulation and on fitness.[3] He was also known for studying the impact of natural amino acid variation in enzymes of central metabolism on insect flight performance.[4] He championed the idea that adaptation and constraint are distinct elements in evolution, prior to fitness differences.

  1. ^ "Director's Letter - February 2019".
  2. ^ Sherman, Paul W.; Watt, Ward B. (March 1, 1973). "The thermal ecology of some Colias butterfly larvae". Journal of Comparative Physiology. 83 (1): 25–40. doi:10.1007/BF00694570 – via Springer Link.
  3. ^ Watt, Ward B. (October 31, 1968). "Adaptive Significance of Pigment Polymorphisms in Colias Butterflies. I. Variation of Melanin Pigment in Relation to Thermoregulation". Evolution. 22 (3): 437–458. doi:10.2307/2406873. JSTOR 2406873 – via JSTOR.
  4. ^ Watt, Ward B.; Cassin, Richard C.; Swan, Mary S. (1983). "ADAPTATION AT SPECIFIC LOCI. III. FIELD BEHAVIOR AND SURVIVORSHIP DIFFERENCES AMONG COLIAS PGI GENOTYPES ARE PREDICTABLE FROM IN VITRO BIOCHEMISTRY". Genetics. pp. 725–739. doi:10.1093/genetics/103.4.725.