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Professor of Biology
B.S. in Physics, M.I.T. (1964)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biophysics, Johns Hopkins University (1970-71)
E-mail to: Department of Biology, P.O. Box 249118, Coral Gables, FL 33124-0421, USA. Office Hours: 162 Cox Science Building - Monday, 3:00 - 3:50 p.m.; Tuesday, and Thursday, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.; or by appointment.
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Some years ago, when I was new to field biology and visited the Smithsonian field station on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, I was asked by students: "What is your organism?" I was confused! Should I answer Homo sapiens? Or, was this too personal a question? I soon realized that I had been exposed to a ritual among field biologists and that I should respond with "herps" or "bats" or perhaps even "mycorrhizal fungi". But, alas, I worked with none of those fascinating organisms. With a personal crisis looming, I seized upon the name of the organism which I had come to study and shouted out enthusiastically - "Calathea lutea". Silence! I was devastated! In desperation, I chose one of the most interesting organisms that I have ever worked with - short of my colleagues and friends - those that remain after reading this story - and clearly enunciated "Erythrina". The tale ends here.
Most recently, I've been particularly interested in "Dryas octopetala". This is a small arctic and alpine plant with a beautiful white flower. The flower has been shown to undergo heliotropic movement, much like a sunflower. But, I am particularly interested in this plant because it has a circumpolar distribution with long "tongues" of distribution far south to Colorado, Bulgaria, the Caucasus, and Japan. So, the same plant lives from latitudes far north, in excess of 80 degrees, to temperate latitudes of 35 to 40 degrees. This is a remarkable latitudinal range and permits some interesting studies. If you would like to help with measurements on this plant, please contact me.
If you wish to talk about Dryas, Erythrina, or anything else, please visit my office in the Cox Science Building - #162 on the outside of the Cox building, off the veranda and with a view of the fountain. Please stop by or e-mail and I will answer as soon as possible.
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All text and images not attributed to others are Copyright, 1999, Thomas J. Herbert. They may not be used for any commercial purpose without the express written permission of Thomas J. Herbert.
