Gaston Bonnier
Encyclopedia
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
botanist and plant ecologist. Bonnier first studied at École Normale Supérieure
École Normale Supérieure
The École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
from 1873 to 1876. Together with Charles Flahault
Charles Flahault
Charles Henri Marie Flahault was a French botanist, among the early pioneers of phytogeography, phytosociology and forest ecology...
, he studied at Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
in 1878. They published two articles about their impressions:
- Observations sur la flore cryptogamique de la Scandinavie
- Sur la distribution des végétaux dans la region moyenne de la presqu’ile Scandinave (both with Charles FlahaultCharles FlahaultCharles Henri Marie Flahault was a French botanist, among the early pioneers of phytogeography, phytosociology and forest ecology...
1879)
He became assistant professor, later full professor, of botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
at Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
in 1887 and, in addition, he founded a Plant Biological Laboratory in Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
in 1889. The same year, he co-founded the scientific journal
Scientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
Revue Générale de Botanique, which he edited until 1922.
He was an early exponent of experimental plant ecology. He transplanted alpine plants between the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
and Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
and the research garden in Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
. The results were published in:
- Cultures expérimentales dans les Alpes et les Pyrénées. Revue Générale de Botanique 2 (1890): 513-546.
- Les plantes arctiques comparées aux ménes espèces des Alpes et des Pyrénées (1894).
- Nouvelles observations sur les cultures expérimentales à diverses altitudes et cultures par semis. Revue Générale de Botanique 3 (1920): 305-326.
He authored several floras of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, such as
- Nouvelle flore du Nord de la France et de la Belgique pour la détermination facile des plantes sans mots techniques. Vol. I. Tableaux synoptiques des plantes vasculaires de la flore de la France. P. Dupont, Paris, 1894 (With Georges de LayensGeorges de LayensGeorges de Layens was a French botanist and apiculturalist. He was the creator of a popular mobile beehive called the "Layens hive".He published numerous works on beekeeping and botany...
(1834-1897)).- Vol. II. Nouvelle Flore des mousses et des hépatiques with Charles Isidore DouinCharles Isidore DouinCharles Isidore Douin was a French bryologist who was a native of Bouville, Eure-et-Loir.He taught school in Chartres, and was the author of a highly regarded work on mosses and liverworts titled Nouvelle flore des mousses et des hépatiques pour la détermination facile des espèces...
(1858-1944). P. Dupont, Paris, 1895. - Vol. III. Nouvelle Flore des champignons with Julien Noël CostantinJulien Noël CostantinJulien Noël Costantin was a French botanist and mycologist who was a native of Paris.He studied at École Normale Supérieure de la rue d'Ulm. In 1881 he received his license in natural history and two years later earned his doctorate...
(1857-1936) and Léon Jean Marie DufourLéon Jean Marie DufourLéon Jean Marie Dufour was a French medical doctor and naturalist .Between 1799 and 1806 he studied medicine in Paris then returned to Saint-Sever in the Landes...
(1862-1942). P. Dupont, Paris, 1895.
- Vol. II. Nouvelle Flore des mousses et des hépatiques with Charles Isidore Douin
- Flore complète illustrée de France, Suisse et Belgique. (1911).
Notable students of Gaston Bonnier include:
- Paul JaccardPaul JaccardPaul Jaccard was a professor of botany and plant physiology at the ETH Zurich. He studied at the University of Lausanne and ETH Zurich...