Story of Palaeobotany Series (No.61): Isabel Clifton Cookson(1893—1973)---Talent female scientist in the history of palaeobotany and palynology in Australia (by Qigao Sun) [Chinese text and two appendices—one appendix in Chinese and English and the other in English]
地球上有一类很可爱但已绝灭的植物叫库克逊蕨。这类植物曾经生活在古生代中志留纪(距今大约4.25亿年)到早泥盆纪(距今大约4亿年),属于最原始的陆生维管植物,对探讨陆地植物起源与地球生态系统演变具有重要科学意义。库克逊蕨在植物分类学上的科学名称(属名)为拉丁文Cooksonia,其词源是英文的姓---Cookson。这个属名是由英国皇家学会院士、著名古植物学家William Henry Lang(1874--1960)在1937年发表的一篇极为经典的研究论文中描述并命名的,而且为了赠誉澳大利亚女学者---Isabel Clifton Cookson(1893---1973)。之所以用I. C. Cookson的姓“Cookson”命名,主要是由于I. C. Cookson的重要学术贡献:
其一、I. C. Cookson与W. H. Lang长期合作,共同研究了澳大利亚早期陆地植物;
其二、I. C. Cookson于1934年在英国威尔士Perton采石场采集了一种库克逊蕨(i.e. Cooksonia pertoni)的模式标本(type specimen),这在早期陆地植物研究中是一项重大发现。
本期《古植物学的故事》主要介绍澳大利亚古植物学与古孢粉学发展史上一位继往开来的才女----I. C. Cookson博士,其生平可参见附件1。
一、早期生活
1893年圣诞节I. C. Cookson出生于澳大利亚维多利亚州的墨尔本市。她的父亲John Cookson在英国出生,她母亲Elizabeth née Somers在澳大利亚Adelaide出生。I. C. Cookson曾在教会办的女子学院(Methodist Ladies' College at Kew)学习过解剖学、生理学和植物学。她擅长钢琴演奏和爱好网球运动。后来,她到墨尔本大学学习,1916年毕业并获得科学学士学位,专业为植物学和动物学。
1925—1926年,I. C. Cookson主要在伦敦帝国理工学院(Imperial College of Science and Technology, London,现简称“Imperial College London”)学习和研究。在英国工作期间,她于1925年首次访问了英国曼彻斯特大学植物系。这次访问激发了她对古植物学研究的兴趣,通过这次访问她与W. H. Lang开始了长达10年的合作研究。W. H. Lang是英国著名的植物学家和古植物学家,于1911年当选为英国皇家学会院士。
后来,I. C. Cookson多次访问英国曼彻斯特大学植物系。1926---1927年I. C. Cookson在曼彻斯特大学开展研究工作。1929—1930年她又回到曼彻斯特大学工作,且被遴选为荣誉研究人员(honorable research fellow)。I. C. Cookson于1933--1934年再次访问曼彻斯特大学,并得到该大学Grisedale奖学金的奖励。
I. C. Cookson在澳大利亚东南部Walhalla附近崎岖的山地和Yarra 河上游的其它化石点[系维多利亚地区志留纪至早泥盆纪地层]采集了许多标本,为开拓澳大利亚早期陆地植物的研究奠定了基础。1925—1935年I. C. Cookson与W. H. Lang合作,共同研究了晚志留纪至早泥盆纪维多利亚地区的陆地维管植物,发表了几篇有长期影响的经典研究论文(见附件2),对早期陆地植物演化理论的形成与发展产生深远影响。
三、澳大利亚古孢粉学研究的开拓者
1935年I. C. Cookson发表了最后一篇有关早期陆地植物的研究论文,其主要内容涉及已绝灭的原始石松类植物---Baragwanathia。此后,I. C. Cookson改变了她的研究方向,主要从事微体古生物学研究,她逐渐在新近纪孢粉学等研究领域大显身手。她是澳大利亚古孢粉学研究的开拓者。
Demonstrator (part-time) in Zoology at the University of Melbourne
1929—1930年 在英国曼彻斯特大学从事研究工作
Research work at the University of Manchester
1930 ---1951年 担任墨尔本大学植物学讲师
Lecturer in Botany at the University of Melbourne
1932年---- 从墨尔本大学获得科学博士学位
Doctor of Science (DSc) received from the University of Melbourne
1942年--- 担任墨尔本大学花粉研究组组长
Head of the Pollen Research Unit at the University of Melbourne
1947年---访问印度Lucknow古植物学研究所,在该所成立开幕式上作主旨演讲
Keynote speaker at the opening of the Birbal Sahni Institue of Paelaeobotany in Lucknow, India
1948—1949年 获得Leverhulme基金资助,在英国曼彻斯特大学从事研究
Leverhulme Researcher at the University of Manschester
1950年---将古植物学标本赠送给维多利亚国立博物馆
1952年---担任墨尔本大学植物学研究人员
Research Fellow in the School of Botany at the University of Melbourne
1952 –1963年 担任墨尔本大学植物学高级讲师
Senior Lecturer in Botany at the University of Melbourne
1957年---遴选为美国植物学会通讯会员
Corresponding member of the Botanical Society of America
1959年 -- 成为澳大利亚维多利亚皇家学会终身会员
Life member of the Royal Society of Victoria
1959年 –正式退休
Retirement (official)
1959 --- 1962年 维多利亚国立博物馆名誉研究人员
Honorary Associate at the National Museum of Victoria
1973年7月1日在Hawthorn家中去世。
-----------------------------------------
附件2 Isabel Clifton Cookson(1893—1973)部分论文目录
Chapman, F. and Cookson, I.C. 1926. A revision of “Sweet” collection of Triassic plant remains from Leigh Creek, South Australia. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia , 50:163—178
Lang, W. H. and Cookson, I.C. 1930. Some fossil plants of Early Devonian type from the Walhalla Series, Victoria, Australia, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London , B219, 133—163
Lang, W.H. and Cookson, I.C., 1935. On a flora, including vascular land plants, associated with Monograptus, in rocks of Silurian age, from Victoria, Australia. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B224, 421-449.
Cookson, I.C., 1935. On the plant remains from the Silurian of Victoria, Australia, that extend and connect floras hitherto described. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, B225, 127—148
Cookson, I.C., 1937. The occurrence of fossil plants at Warrentinna, Tasmania. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania, 1936:73-77
Cookson, I.C., 1945. Pollen content of Tertiary deposits. Australian Journal of Sciences, 7:149-150
Cookson, I.C., 1946. Pollens of Nothofagus Blume from Tertiary deposits in Australia. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 71:49—63
Cookson, I.C., 1947a. Plant microfossils from lignites of Kerguelen Archipelago. BANZ Antarctic Research Expedition 1929—1931 Reports Series A, 2:127--142
Cookson, I.C., 1947b. On fossil leaves (Oleaceae) and a new type of fossil pollen grain from Australian brown coal deposits. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 72:185--197
Cookson, I.C., 1950. Fossil pollen grains of proteaceous type from Tertiary deposits in Australia. Australian Journal of Scientific Research, 2:166—177
Cookson, I.C., 1952. Identification of Tertiary pollen grains with those of New Guinea and New Caledonian beeches. Nature, 170:127
Cookson, I.C., 1953a. The identification of the sporomorph Phyllocladidites with Dacrydium and its distribution in southern Tertiary deposits. Australian Journal of Botany, 1:64—70
Cookson, I.C., 1953b. Records of the occurrence of Botryococcus braunii, Pediastrum and Hystrichosphaerideae in Cainozoic deposits of Australia. Memoir of National Museum of Victoria, 18:107-123
Cookson, I.C., 1953c. Difference in microspore composition of some samples from a bore at Comaum, South Australia. Australian Journal of Botany, 1(3):462-473
Cookson, I.C., 1954a. The Cainozoic occurrence of Acacia in Australia. Australian Journal of Botany, 2:52—59
Cookson, I.C., 1954b. The occurrence of an older Tertiary microflora in Western Australia. Australian Journal of Science, 17:37-38
Cookson, I.C., 1957. On some Australian Tertiary spores and pollen grains that extend the geological and geographical distribution of living genera. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, 69:41—54
Cookson, I.C., 1959. Fossil pollen grains of Nothofagus from Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, 71:25—30
Cookson, I.C., 1961. Tertiary microplankton from the Rottnest Island bore. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 44:39-47
Cookson, I.C and Dettmann, M.E., 1958. Some trilete spores from Upper Mesozoic deposits in the eastern Australian region. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, 70:95-128
Cookson, I.C. and Duigan, S.L., 1950. Fossil Banksiene from Yallourn, Victoria, with notes on morphology and anatomy of living species. Australian Journal of Scientific Research, Series B, 3:133—165
Cookson, I.C. and Duigan, S.L., 1951. Tertiary Araucariaceae from south-eastern Australia, with notes on living species. Australian Journal of Scientific Research, Series B, 4:415—449
Cookson, I.C., and Eisenack, A., 1958. Microplanton from Australian and New Guizea Upper Mesozoic sediments. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, 70:19-79
Cookson, I.C., and Eisenack, A., 1960. Upper Mesozoic microplankton from Australia and New Guizea. Palaeontology, 2:243-261
Cookson, I.C., and Eisenack, A., 1962. Some Cretaceous and Tertiary microfossils from western Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, 75:269-273
Cookson, I.C., and Eisenack, A., 1965a. Microplankton from the Paleocene Pebble Point Formation, south-western Victoria. 1. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, 78:137-141
Cookson, I.C., and Eisenack, A., 1965b. Microplankton from the Paleocene Pebble Point Formation, south-western Victoria. 2. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, 79:139-146
Cookson, I. C. and Pike, K.M., 1953a. The Tertiary occurrence and distribution of Podocarpus (Section Dacrycarpus) in Australia and Tasmania. Australian Journal of Botany, 1:71—82
Cookson, I. C. and Pike, K.M., 1953b. A contribution to the Tertiary occurrence of the genus Dacrydium in the Australian region. Australian Journal of Botany, 1:474—484
Cookson, I. C. and Pike, K.M., 1954a. The fossil occurrence of Phyllocladus and two other podocarpaceous types in Australia. Australian Journal of Botany, 2:60--68
Cookson, I. C. and Pike, K.M., 1954b. Some dicotyledonous pollen types from Cainozoic deposits in the Australian region. Australian Journal of Botany, 2:197--219
Cookson, I. C. and Pike, K.M., 1955. The pollen morphology of Nothofagus Bl. Sub-section Bipartitae Steen. Australian Journal of Botany, 3:197--206
Cookson, I.C. and Eisenack, A., 1967. Some Early Tertiay microplankton and pollen grains from a deposit near Strahan, western Tasmania. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, 80:131--140
Deflander, G. and Cookson, I.C., 1955. Fossil microplankton from Australian Late Mesozoic and Tertiary sediments. Australian Journal of Marine Freshwater Research, 6:242-313
Boyce, C. K., 2008. How green was Cooksonia? The importance of size in understanding the early evolution of physiology in the vascular plant lineage. Paleobiology 34 (2): 179–194
Hill, R. S. (editor), 1994. History of the Australian Vegetation: Cretaceous to Recent. Cambridge University Press. 1—433
Lang, W. H., 1937. On the plant-remains from the Downtonian of England and Wales. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B227:245-291
Watson, J., 2005. One hundred and fifty years of palaeobotany at Manchester University. In: Bowden, A.J., Burek, C.V. & Wilding, R. (eds) History of Palaeobotany: Selected Essay. London: Geological Society, Special Publications, 241:229--257