biology

Henri Gaussen

Henri Gaussen is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Henri Gaussen rather than just read about it. In short: Marcel-Henri Gaussen (14 July 1891 in Cabrières-d'Aigues (Vaucluse) – 27 July 1981 in Toulouse), was a French botanist and biogeographer. In 1926, he defended his thesis on "the vegetation of the eastern half of the Pyrenees", which laid the foundation for future work on the border between biogeography and vegetation mapping.

Key takeaways

Henri Gaussen belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Henri Gaussen to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Henri Gaussen from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Marcel-Henri Gaussen (14 July 1891 in Cabrières-d'Aigues (Vaucluse) – 27 July 1981 in Toulouse), was a French botanist and biogeographer.

In 1926, he defended his thesis on "the vegetation of the eastern half of the Pyrenees", which laid the foundation for future work on the border between biogeography and vegetation mapping. Gaussen was an early advocate of the ideas of stages and vegetation succession, which are fundamental to phytogeography. His work allowed for the production of a vegetation map of France at a scale of 1/200 000 (completed after his death by the service of the CNRS, but which he had created and directed) and many similar projects in other countries. His work led to many advanced phytogeographic tools such as the xerothermic or Gaussen Index, and the "ombrothermic diagram". As recognition for his scientific work in mapping of vegetation cover and ecology, he received the Grand Prix of the Geographical Society for geographical research and publications in 1971. He was also responsible for the creation of the Arboretum de Jouéou in 1922, and for the strength and reputation of teaching and research in botany at the University of Toulouse. A great traveller, he was also the creator of a science section at the French Institute of Pondicherry. He worked with Flora Europaea as a regional adviser for France. Henri Gaussen spent his entire career as a professor at Toulouse, where he was also in 1958 elected as a "mainteneur" (council member) of the Académie des Jeux floraux. Having accumulated an impressive number of personal photographs, he donated his collection to the archives of the department of Haute-Garonne, where they can still be viewed.

Principal publications Gaussen, Henri (1927). "Les cultures en terrasses dans le bassin méditerranéen occidental" [Terraced crops in the western Mediterranean basin]. Annales de géographie (in French). tome 36 (201): 276–278. doi:10.3406/geo.1927.8778. Gaussen, Henri (1933). Géographie des Plantes [Plant Geography] (in French). Paris: Librairie Armand Colin. OCLC 5246885. (222 pages, 8 maps and figures) Gaussen, Henri (1946). "Les gymnospermes actuelles et fossiles" [Current and fossil gymnosperms]. Travaux du laboratoire forestier de Toulouse (in French). 2. Gaussen, Henri (February 1950). "Le dynamisme des biocénoses végétales" [The dynamism of plant biocenoses]. Colloque international du CNRS sur l'écologie. (in French). CNRS. Gaussen, Henri; Bagnouls, F. (1953). Saison sèche et indice xérothermique (in French). University of Toulouse, Faculty of Sciences. OCLC 893798321. Gaussen, Henri; Barreul, Paul (1955). Montagnes, la vie aux hautes altitudes [Mountains, life at high altitudes] (in French). Paris: Horizons de France. OCLC 797579874. Gaussen, Henri (December 1966), "Habitations humaines dans les Pyrénées et les Alpes" [Human dwellings in the Pyrenees and the Alps], La Montagne (in French), Club alpin français

Eponymy genus

(Podocarpaceae) Gaussenia A.V.Bobrov & Melikyan Species

(Aizoaceae) Opophytum gaussenii (Leredde) H.Jacobsen ex Greuter & Burdet (Araliaceae) Brassaiopsis gaussenii Bui (Asteraceae) Leontodon gaussenii Sennen (Campanulaceae) Phyteuma gaussenii Chouard (Cupressaceae) Juniperus gaussenii Cheng (Elaeocarpaceae) Elaeocarpus gaussenii Weibel (Moraceae) Dorstenia gaussenii J.Troch. & Koechl. (Pinaceae) Pseudotsuga gaussenii Flous (Podocarpaceae) Afrocarpus gaussenii (Woltz) C.N.Page (Ulmaceae) Ulmus gaussenii W. C. Cheng

Honours The Henri Gaussen Prize Presented by the Académie des sciences, inscriptions et belles-lettres de Toulouse, this prize is awarded annually for a scientific work on the Pyrenees mountain range. The City of Toulouse honours him with the Boulevard Henri Gaussen, in the Minimes quarter.

External links village of Miglos in the Ariege, Castle Miglos. Photos from the Henri Gaussen database. see also Miglos Stages and vegetation zones of France, Gaussen, 1938. Chrono-Biographical Sketch of Gaussen from Smith at WKU Gaussen at balades-pyrenees.com

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Henri Gaussen

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Henri Gaussen claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Henri Gaussen before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Henri Gaussen ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Henri Gaussen

In research: Henri Gaussen appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Henri Gaussen in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Henri Gaussen is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1891 births, 1981 deaths, 20th-century French botanists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Henri Gaussen outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Henri Gaussen in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Henri Gaussen in simple terms?

Marcel-Henri Gaussen (14 July 1891 in Cabrières-d'Aigues (Vaucluse) – 27 July 1981 in Toulouse), was a French botanist and biogeographer. In 1926, he defended his thesis on "the vegetation of the eastern half of the Pyrenees", which laid the foundation for future work on the border between biogeogr…

Why does Henri Gaussen matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Henri Gaussen?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Henri Gaussen.