Ralph Works Chaney

Ralph Works Chaney (August 24, 1890 – March 3, 1971) was an American paleobotanist. Chaney was the first paleobotanist to develop in detail the use of morphological characters of fossil leaves to deduce ecological information of the given era. He was also the first to use quantitative study of fossil floras in an attempt to arrive at a precise estimate of species dominance in vegetation, understanding that species in a given ecosystem evolve cooperatively. Career Early career In the summer of 1913, Chaney was hired as a cook by the U.S. Geological Survey and spent the summer months in the Matanuska Valley of Alaska. He was part of a team that was doing a topographic survey of the region. It was here where Chaney saw his first fossilized tree.

In 1914, he decided to take a job as head of the Science Department at the Frances W. Parker School in Chicago. He remained there until 1917, when he left to teach geology at the University of Iowa. He advanced from instructor to assistant professor before returning to the University of Chicago to resume his education. In 1919, Chaney earned his doctorate degree in geology. 1947 - elected member of the United States National Academy of Sciences 1956 - Botanical Society of America's Merit Award 1969 - U.S. Department of the Interior's Distinguished Service Award 1970 - Paleontological Society of America's Paleontological Society Medal

Works was active in issues of species conservation. A member of the Save the Redwoods League since the late 1920s, he became president of the organization from 1961 until his death in 1971.

Selected publications (1910). A migration of Longspurs over Chicago on December 13, 1909. The Auk, 27(2):210-ll (1918). The ecological significance of the Eagle Creek flora of the Columbia River Gorge. J. Geol., 26(7):577-92 (1924). Palaeontological researches. Carnegie Inst. Washington Yearb., 22(1923):349-50. (1926). Bearing of palaeobotany on habitat conditions in Mongolia. In: Important Results of the Central Asiatic Expeditions. Nat. Hist., 26(5):532. (1933). With Lyman H. Daugherty. The occurrence of Cercis associated with the remains of Sinanthropus. Geol. Soc. China Bull., 12(3):323-28 (1940). Tertiary forests and continental history. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 51(3):469-88. (1951). A revision of fossil Sequoia and Taxodium in western North America based on the recent discovery of Metasequoia. Am. Philos. Soc. Trans., n.s. 40(3): 171–262. (1967). Preliminary notes on a middle Miocene flora from Taiwan. Geol. Soc. China Proc, 10:155-56.