IN MEMORIAM: RUDOLF HERMAN DRENT, 1937-2008

摘要

Rudi Drent, a Member since 1959 and Honorary Fellow (1980), died on 9 September 2008 after a brief illness. Born in Los Angeles on 24 April 1937, Drent studied biology at the University of British Columbia, Canada, from 1954 to 1961. A master’s project involved the breeding ecology of Pigeon Guillemots on Mandarte Island. In 1962, he moved to his father’s homeland, The Netherlands, to study for a Ph.D. degree. Under the supervision of Gerard Baerends, he embarked on a functional analysis of incubation in Herring Gulls. In 1967, Drent returned to Vancouver with his degree and freshly married with Nel. He resumed his work on the Pigeon Guillemots to quantify diet and growth in greater detail. During this time, he developed a close friendship with John Krebs, who had just finished his thesis on territory and breeding density in Great Tits. Both became associate professors of ecology at the University of British Columbia. Throughout their careers, Drent and Krebs shared an interest in foraging behavior. Eventually, Drent returned to Groningen as a lector in animal ecology (1972–1984) and later a full professor (1984–2003, with emeritus status since).