Gregor W. Yeates

Gregor William Yeates, publishing as GW Yeates (19 May 1944 – 6 August 2012),[1][2] was a New Zealand soil zoologist and ecologist. He was "considered the world's leading authority in soil nematode ecology, a subject of economic and ecological importance."[3]

Gregor W. Yeates
Yeates in 2007
Born	Gregor William Yeates 19 May 1944 New Zealand
Died	6 August 2012 (aged 68) Palmerston North, New Zealand
Alma mater	University of Canterbury
Scientific career
Fields	Soil nematode ecology
Institutions	New Zealand Soil Bureau
Thesis	Studies on nematodes of dune sands (1968)
Doctoral advisor	Wally Clark

Scientific career and contributions

Yeates's PhD (under Wally Clark)[4] and DSc were both at the University of Canterbury.[5][6]

He spent most of his working life at Soil Bureau, a division of DSIR, which became Landcare Research.[7] He published over 200 papers and described over 100 species in genera including Longidorus, Xiphinema, Hemicycliophora, Trischistoma and Dorylaimida.

Holotypes of Yeates's are the earliest in the National Nematode Collection of New Zealand.[8]

As a student he counted Adelie Penguins st Cape Royds 1964–65 and 1965–66.[9]

Yeates's early work on nematodes in sand dunes represented some of the first detailed work on nematodes in non-agricultural settings, and 'representing some of the most detailed assessments of nematode communities ever conducted in natural environments.'[10]

He was awarded a Nuffield Foundation Commonwealth Travelling Fellowship to study at Rothamsted in 1977–1978.[10]

He conducted long-term work on CO₂ enrichment in pasture.[10]

He studied the New Zealand flatworm Arthurdendyus triangulatus in its native environment,[10] supporting work in the United Kingdom where it became established as an invasive pest.

Family and civic life

Yeates was the son of Massey founding staff member John Stuart Yeates. He and wife Judy lived in Upper Hutt and Palmerston North, with two children. He was elected to the Rimutaka ward of the Upper Hutt City Council (1973–1977) and the Hutt Valley Drainage Board (1973–1977). He was later involved with Te Manawa in Palmerston North[11][12][13] and the Royal Society of New Zealand at both a local[14] and a national level.[15][16]

Honours and offices

• Nuffield Travelling Scholarship (1977)[13]
• Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand (1998)[3][7][17]
• Fellow of the New Zealand Society of Soil Science (1995)[7]
• Fellow of the Society of Nematologists (2007)[7]
• Editorial Board of Journal of Nematology.[18]
• Office holder in the Royal Society of New Zealand Manawatu Branch[19][20]
• Officeholder in the Royal Society of New Zealand Wellington Branch from 1981, including 1987–88[20]
• Upper Hutt City Councillor and Hutt Valley Drainage Board member from 1973 to 1977[20]
• Council of the New Zealand Rhododendron Association 1997–2000[20]
• Heritage Park Rhododendron Charitable Trust Trustee[20]
• President of the New Zealand Society of Parasitology during 1990–1991[20]

Publications

• Feeding Habits in Soil Nematode Families and Genera—An Outline for Soil Ecologists by G. W. Yeates, T. Bongers, R. G. M. De Goede, D. W. Freckman, and S. S. Georgieva in J Nematol. 1993 September; 25(3) has 901 citations according to google scholar.[21] The paper is a study in the ecological role of nematodes structured by taxa.[22]
• Gregor Yeates. Earthworms, Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 27-Sep-11
• Plains' Science: Inventions, Innovations and Discoveries from the Manawatu v1. (2011), co-edited by Vince Neall and Gregor Yeates, Royal Society of New Zealand Manawatu Branch and the Science Centre Inc., ISBN 9780473187033.[23]

References

1. Death Notice, page 23, Manawatu Standard, 8 August 2012
2. Wardle, David A.; Ross, Craig (2013). "Gregor William Yeates, 19 May 1944–6 August 2012". New Zealand Journal of Ecology. 37 (1): 156–158.
3. "Fellows Elected in 1998". Retrieved 7 September 2016.
4. "Biological Sciences - University of Canterbury - New Zealand". Retrieved 7 September 2016.
5. Yeates, Gregor William (1968). Studies on nematodes of dune sands (PhD). Christchurch: University of Canterbury. p. 102. hdl:10092/4945.
6. Yeates, Gregor William (1985). Studies on soil nematode populations (DSc). Christchurch: University of Canterbury.
7. "Gregor Yeates". Plpnemweb.ucdavis.edu. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
8. "National Nematode Collection of New Zealand (NNCNZ)". Landcare Research. 31 May 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
9. Yeates, G. W. 1968: Studies on the Adelie Penguin at Cape Royds 1964-65 and 1965-66. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 2: 472-496.
10. Wardle, David A.; Ross, Craig; Boag, Brian; Coleman, David C. (10 November 2012). "Resolution of respect for Gregor William Yeates, 1944–2012". Pedobiologia. 55 (6): 283–284. doi:10.1016/j.pedobi.2012.10.002.
11. "Charities Register". Retrieved 7 September 2016.
12. "Charities Register". Retrieved 7 September 2016.
13. Obitrary. Upper Hutt Leader. 15 August 2012
14. "Charities Register". Retrieved 7 September 2016.
15. "Charities Register". Retrieved 7 September 2016.
16. New Zealand Parliament – Dr G W Yeates and Royal Society of New Zealand Manawatu Branch
17. "List of Current Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand". Retrieved 7 September 2016.
18. "The JOURNAL of NEMATOLOGY | Style Guide". Journal-of-nematology-style-guide.org. 31 December 2011. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
19. "RSNZ Manawatu Branch". Manawatu.rsnzbranch.org.nz. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
20. "Gregor William Yeates". Retrieved 7 September 2016.
21. "gw yeates – Google Scholar". Retrieved 10 August 2012.
22. Yeates, GW; Bongers, T; De Goede, RG; Freckman, DW; Georgieva, SS (24 May 2012). "Feeding Habits in Soil Nematode Families and Genera—An Outline for Soil Ecologists". J. Nematol. 25 (3): 315–31. PMC 2619405. PMID 19279775.
23. "New Zealand National Bibliography May 2011" (PDF). National Library of New Zealand. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2012.

External links

• G W Yeates on Wikispecies