Emeritus Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town
In Memoriam
Dr. William Bond was a Professor Emeritus at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He was an ecologist with deep experience in mediterranean-climate regions and savannas. Dr. Bond’s rich research career focused around a central theme of exploration of the ecology, biogeography and evolution of open (shade-intolerant) ecosystems. His work explored both physical and biotic controls on the distribution of these systems, with study of how fire, herbivory, soils, and atmospheric chemistry (especially changing CO2), interact within a climate setting to determine the proportions of open versus forested vegetation. In particular, Dr. Bond was known for his studies of fire as a major process shaping the ecology, geography, and evolutionary history of plant life.
South Africa