Joseph Grinnell

Joseph Grinnell
Joseph Grinnell in 1901
Born(1877-02-27)February 27, 1877
Indian Territory near Fort Sill, Oklahoma
DiedMay 29, 1939(1939-05-29) (aged 62)
EducationPasadena HS, Throop Polytechnic, Stanford
Alma mater
Known for
SpouseHilda Wood Grinnell
ChildrenWillard, Stuart, Richard and Mary Elizabeth
Scientific career
FieldsZoology
Institutions
ThesisAn account of the mammals and birds of the lower Colorado Valley, with especial reference to the distributional problems presented (1913)
Doctoral advisorCharles Henry Gilbert
Doctoral studentsIan McTaggart-Cowan,
E. Raymond Hall,
Robert T. Orr
Alden H. Miller
Signature

Joseph P. Grinnell (February 27, 1877 – May 29, 1939) was an American field biologist and zoologist. He made extensive studies of the fauna of California, and is credited with introducing a method of recording precise field observations known as the Grinnell System.[1] He served as the first director of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley from the museum's inception in 1908 until his death.[2]

He edited The Condor, a publication of the Cooper Ornithological Club, from 1906 to 1939, and authored many articles for scientific journals and ornithological magazines. He wrote several books, among them The Distribution of the Birds of California and Animal Life in the Yosemite.[3] He also developed and popularized the concept of the niche.[4]

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  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference MVZbio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference obit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Joseph Grinnell (1917). "The niche-relationships of the California Thrasher" (PDF). The Auk. 34 (4): 427–433. doi:10.2307/4072271. JSTOR 4072271. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2017-08-10.