Peter Gordon Martin

Peter Gordon Martin (20 June 1923 – 15 December 1994) was an Australian geneticist and botanist, as well as a naval officer. He completed his BSc and PhD at the University of Adelaide, where was appointed lecturer and professor. Martin's work, influenced by the theory of continental drift, showed a genetic connection of South American and Australian marsupials to a Gondwanan common origin. He was awarded several academic awards and distinctions.

Early life Born in North Adelaide, Australia, Martin was the only son of Annie Violet De Rose and Stanley Gordon Martin. After he completed studies at Prince Alfred College in 1940, he joined Australian Permanent Naval Forces. As a sub-lieutenant, he participated in the invasion of Sicily (July 1943), and reaching the rank of lieutenant, he acted as second-in-command of HMAS Barwon and HMAS Gladstone. In 1943, Martin was present in Tokyo Bay for the surrender of Japanese forces.

Education and research Martin completed his BSc (1953) and PhD (1957) at the University of Adelaide, and he began as a lecturer there in 1956. In 1969, Martin attained the position of professor of botany. This publication quote|...provided a clear account of changes in chromosomal morphology and number over evolutionary time, and indicated that Australian and South American marsupials had a common Gondwanan origin. Many of the scholars who subsequently helped to make Australia pre-eminent in the field of marsupial evolution were either taught or influenced by Martin or Hayman.

Selected publications Hayman, D. L., Martin, P. G. (1969). Cytogenetics of marsupials. In K. Benirschke (ed). Comparative Mammalian Cytogenetics (pp. 191-227). Springer-Verlag.

Hayman, D. L., Martin, P. G. (1974). Mammalia I: Monotremata and marsupialia. In B. John (ed). Animal Cyogenet. Berlin: Gebruder Borntraeger.