William Gardner Smith

William Gardner Smith (20 March 1866, Dundee, UK – 8 December 1928, Edinburgh, UK) was a Scottish botanist and ecologist who pioneered the study and mapping of the vegetation of the United Kingdom. He was a founding member of the British Ecological Society.

Early life and education Smith was born in Dundee, Scotland, and educated at the University College of Dundee, where he obtained a B.Sc. in botany and zoology, and at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, where he obtained a PhD. At the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Smith studied plant pathology and translated Carl von Tubeuf's Pflanzenkrankheiten. In 1913, the committee organized the British Ecological Society, the first ever professional body of ecologists. Smith served as president of the society in 1918 and 1919.

After returning to Scotland in 1908, Smith worked on agricultural problems, applying an ecological approach to the management of hill pastures.