biology

Peter Vitousek

Peter Vitousek 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 Peter Vitousek rather than just read about it. In short: Peter Morrison Vitousek (born January 24, 1949 ) is an American ecologist, particularly known for his work on the nitrogen cycle. Born in Hawaii, Vitousek graduated from Amherst College in 1971 and received his Ph.D. in biology from Dartmouth College in 1975.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Peter Morrison Vitousek (born January 24, 1949 ) is an American ecologist, particularly known for his work on the nitrogen cycle. Born in Hawaii, Vitousek graduated from Amherst College in 1971 and received his Ph.D. in biology from Dartmouth College in 1975. Since then, he has worked as an Assistant Professor of Zoology and Biology at Indiana University (1975–79), an Associate Professor of Botany and Biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1980–83), and a Professor in the Department of Biology at Stanford University since 1984. He is married to fellow Stanford professor and ecologist Pamela Matson. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1992. In 1993, he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Vitousek was awarded the 2006 NAS Award for Scientific Reviewing "for his scholarly and inspirational book and reviews on nitrogen cycling and its role in the evolving patterns of ecosystem productivity and diversity." In 2010, he was awarded the Japan Prize and in 2012 was an inaugural Fellow of the Ecological Society of America. Vitousek is the son of Betty and Roy Vitousek Jr of Hawaii. He is the grandson of Roy A. Vitousek who was a three-term Speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives.

Selected publications Peter M. Vitousek (1982) Nutrient Cycling and Nutrient Use Efficiency. Am Nat. 119, pp. 553. Peter M. Vitousek, Paul R. Ehrlich, Anne H. Ehrlich and Pamela A. Matson (1986) Human Appropriation of the Products of Photosynthesis. BioScience 36: 368-373 Peter M. Vitousek & L.R. Walker (1989) Biological invasion by Myrica faya in Hawai'i: plant demography, nitrogen fixation, and ecosystem effects. Ecological Monographs 59: 247–265. Peter M. Vitousek & R W. Howarth (1991) Nitrogen limitation on land and in the sea: How can it occur? Biogeochemistry 13: 87-115 Peter M. Vitousek, John D. Aber, Robert W. Howarth, Gene E. Likens, Pamela A. Matson, David W. Schindler, William H. Schlesinger, David G. Tilman (1997) Human alteration of the global nitrogen cycle: Sources and consequences. Ecological Applications: 7, 737-750. Peter M. Vitousek, Harold A. Mooney, Jane Lubchenco, Jerry M. Melillo. (1997) Human Domination of Earth's Ecosystems. Science 277: 494 – 499. Peter M. Vitousek (2004) Nutrient Cycling and Limitation: Hawai‘i as a Model System. Princeton University Press. Peter M. Vitousek, T.L. Ladefoged, P.V. Kirch, A.S. Hartshorn, M.W. Graves, S.C. Hotchkiss, S. Tuljapurkar, and O.A. Chadwick (2004) Agriculture, soils, and society in precontact Hawai’i. Science 304: 1665–1669 Peter M. Vitousek, R. Naylor, T. Crews, M. B. David, L.E. Drinkwater, E. Holland, P. J. Johnes, J. Katzenberger, L. A. Martinelli, P. A. Matson, G. Nziguheba, D. Ojima, C. A. Palm, G. P. Robertson, P. A. Sanchez, A. R. Townsend, F. S. Zhang (2009) Nutrient Imbalances in Agricultural Development: Science 324: 1519-1520.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Peter Vitousek

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Peter Vitousek 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 Peter Vitousek 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 Peter Vitousek 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 Peter Vitousek

In research: Peter Vitousek 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 Peter Vitousek 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: Peter Vitousek is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1949 births, American ecologists, Amherst College alumni, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Peter Vitousek 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.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Peter Vitousek” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Peter Vitousek in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Peter Vitousek means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Peter Vitousek out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Peter Vitousek in simple terms?

Why does Peter Vitousek 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 Peter Vitousek?

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 Peter Vitousek.