title: A keystone ecologist: Robert Treat Paine, 1933-2016.
abstract: Robert T. Paine, who passed away on 13 June 2016, is among the most influential people in the history of ecology. Paine was an experimentalist, a theoretician, a practitioner, and proponent of the "ecology of place," and a deep believer in the importance of natural history to ecological understanding. His scientific legacy grew from the discovery of a link between top-down forcing and species diversity, a breakthrough that led to the ideas of both keystone species and trophic cascades, and to our early understanding of the mosaic nature of biological communities, causes of zonation across physical gradients, and the intermediate-disturbance hypothesis of species diversity. Paine's influence as a mentor was equally important to the growth of ecological thinking, natural resource conservation, and policy. He served ecology as an Ecological Society of America president, an editor of the Society's journals, a member of and contributor to the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council, and an in-demand advisor to various state and federal agencies. Paine's broad interests, enthusiasm, charisma, and humor deeply affected our lives and the lives of so many others.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, 95060, USA.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Estes
authors.affiliation: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Paul K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Dayton
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 90095, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kareiva
authors.affiliation: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08544, USA.
authors.forename: Simon A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lubchenco
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 97331, USA.
authors.forename: Bruce A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Menge
authors.affiliation: Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California, 93950, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Palumbi
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Power
authors.affiliation: Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, 27708, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Terborgh
mesh_terms: D004463:Ecology / Q000266:history; D049673:History, 20th Century; D008611:Mentors / Q000266:history; D011642:Publications / Q000266:history; D012106:Research / Q000266:history; D014481:United States
keywords: intermediate disturbance; keystone species; mentor; patch dynamics; tribute to life; trophic cascade; zonation