ScienceNow
30 March 2000
Ecologists Drown During Research Trip
A spring break research trip has ended in disaster, leaving the
tight-knit world of professional ecologists mourning the loss of five of
its own. The scientists--two Americans from the University of California (UC),
Davis, and two Japanese from Kyoto University--died Monday after their
boat capsized in high seas off Baja, Mexico. A third Japanese scientist is
missing and presumed dead.
The victims of the Sea of Cortez's unpredictable weather were
expedition leader Gary Allan Polis, 53, a spider and scorpion expert from
UC Davis; Michael Rose, 28, a postgraduate researcher in Polis's lab;
termite ecologist Takuya Abe, 55, of the Center for Ecological Research at
Kyoto University; and colleagues Masahiko Higashi, 45, and Shigeru Nakano,
37.
The team's two small boats were making a 4 nautical mile voyage from a
study site on the island of Cabeza de Caballo to the tiny Mexican port of
Bahia de los Angeles. The boats became separated and one capsized.
Survivors say Polis apparently died of a heart attack after clinging to
the overturned boat for several hours, while the others drowned. At least
four other researchers and students survived the accident and swam to
shore.
Polis was among ecology's most prominent stars. After receiving his
doctorate from UC Riverside in 1977, Polis went on to become a respected
authority on the factors, such as climate and food availability, that
affect insect populations. His work attracted broad attention, including
more than $500,000 in grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF)
over the last decade, making him one of the world's best-funded
ecologists. An enthusiastic educator, he was also the subject of numerous
popular magazine articles and a children's book. Takuya Abe was also a
prominent leader in his field, studying the complex cooperative
relationship between termites and the plants they eat. He was particularly
interested in how the ratio of carbon and nitrogen in plant cell walls
influenced the social habits of insects, and how those arrangements
rippled through entire ecosystems.
News of the accident stunned officials at both universities, with UC
Davis Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef calling it "the most tragic in our
history." NSF Director Rita Colwell eulogized the researchers in a
statement. "Like so many colleagues who diligently pursue a better
understanding of our world," she said, "these researchers put their
commitment to knowledge before their comfort and personal security."
--DAVID MALAKOFF
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