In remembrance of: Scott A. Mori (1941–2020), Tropical Botanist Extraordinaire

Abstract

Scott Alan Mori was born in Janesville, Wisconsin, in 1941. He grew up in Milton, a small town in rural southeastern Wisconsin. Exploration of the countryside as a boy gave him an understanding of nature and eagerness to be in it. Participation in high school and college wrestling, football, track, and basketball kindled in him a desire to excel. Scott attended college at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he earned the B.S. in Biology and Conservation in 1964. He enrolled in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin main campus at Madison, where he earned his M.S. in 1968 and Ph.D. in 1974. During the first semester of his graduate work, Scott met Professor Hugh Iltis, who had a profound influence on Scott's life. Hugh recognized Scott's passion for nature and exceptional work ethic, and hired him to be a collector for the UW herbarium, first in southern Mexico and later in Costa Rica. Experience with tropical plants quickly convinced Scott to work in the tropics for his M.S. thesis research on the taxonomy and ecology of Central American Lecythis (Lecythidaceae, the Brazil Nut Family). Scott continued with Lecythidaceae for his Ph.D. dissertation, on the taxonomy and anatomy of Gustavia. Scott chose Hugh Iltis to serve as Advisor for his M.S. thesis and also his Ph.D. work. When I (Iain Prance) found that Scott was working on Gustavia for his Ph.D., I paid more attention as I was just starting to study that family as well. It was while he was with us in Manaus (Brazil) in 1971 that Scott got stung by a bee while collecting along the Rio Negro. His anaphylactic reaction gave us a real fright and used our supply of antihistamines. Knowing this, I admired Scott even more for all the fieldwork he carried out despite the danger of getting stung again. Thus, began a long, friendly, and co-operative relationship that continued until Scott's untimely death. In 1975 following an enthusiastic and typically flowery letter of recommendation from Hugh Iltis, Scott came to The New York Botanical Garden for a postdoc funded by my NSF grant for work on the Lecythidaceae. This led to the publication of Volume 1 of Lecythidaceae for Flora Neotropica, covering the actinomorphic-flowered genera, published in 1979, while Scott was working in the Bahia, Brazil, for two years. As Scott was away in Brazil, I did most of the preparation for that volume that included Scott's treatments of Gustavia and Grias. Volume 2 of the zygomorphic species was put together by Scott and was published in 1990. In this volume, he authored the treatment of the largest and most complicated genus of Lecythidaceae, Eschweilera. To my delight Scott returned to the permanent staff of NYBG in 1980. The monographs and later molecular studies greatly improved the taxonomy and phylogeny of the Lecythidaceae, but this was only a small part of the multiple research interests of Scott. During his long career at NYBG, Scott rose to the rank of Curator in 1982, Senior Curator in 1991, and Nathaniel Lord Britton Curator of Botany in 1998. His tenure at NYBG included serving as Director of the Institute of Systematic Botany during 1995−2001. In addition to numerous publications, Scott authored or co-authored five book-length monographs on taxonomy, ecology, and floristics of Lecythidaceae (Mori et al., 1987; Mori & Lepsch-Cunha, 1995; Mori & Prance, 1990, 1993; Prance & Mori, 1979). He also published five other books: the two volumes of Guide to the Vascular Plants of Central French Guiana (Mori et al., 1997, 2002), Flowering Plants of the Neotropics (Smith et al., 2004), Seed Dispersal by Bats in the Neotropics (Lobova et al., 2009), and Tropical Plant Collecting: From the Field to the Internet (Mori et al., 2011). Although his research focused on Lecythidaceae, Scott reveled equally in describing plants of the 125 other families that I illustrated for his Flora of Central French Guiana. Fieldwork with him added even more allure as I sketched plants as quickly as he dropped them to my feet from high in the canopy. New species authored by Scott were satisfying to illustrate for his research. Equally remarkable was drawing species named after him by his admiring colleagues. Disciphania moriorum (Menispermaceae, Figure 1) was ‘fittingly dedicated’ by Rupert Barneby to Scott and his wife Carol Gracie (Figure 2) after she found flowers on the forest floor and Scott climbed high to collect it. In my mind, the species name represents Scott as a true collaborator, not only with Carol but also with botanists at NYBG and over the world. He shared his knowledge, his enthusiasm, and his laughter with us all. [Bobbi Angell] When I heard that Scott was interested in spending a year in Panama, we hired him to collect for the Flora of Panama Project. Scott was a fantastic employee, with activities that got him into some newly opened areas. Scott was ambitious about getting into new regions, perhaps encountering more interesting new areas in Panama than any other person. Scott was also the most responsive collector that we had. He always provided detailed accounts of what he was doing, and I tried to reciprocate to his requests immediately in those days of slow “snail mail” when communications typically required two-week turnaround times. Scott never shied away from hard collecting trips and once walked down much of the coast of NE Panama in Bocas del Toro. He has always been an intrepid collector and continued to climb trees when we worked together many years later in 1993 near Saül in central French Guiana, where Scott was working on his much-acclaimed Flora of Saül that was published in 1997. [Tom Croat] Scott was the kingpin of a long-term cooperation between the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD, formerly ORSTOM) in Cayenne, initiated in 1976. The Herbier de Guyane is grateful to Scott for having deposited duplicates of all his high-quality collections, especially the excellent fertile specimens that he collected of the trees. Many of them proved to represent species new to science or to French Guiana. On behalf of my French colleagues, I thank you, Scott, for your great contribution to our knowledge of plants of French Guiana. [Jean-Jacques de Granville] Scott received three major awards that recognized his expansive impacts on botany, each international in scope. The International Association of Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) awarded him the Engler Medal in Silver for the best publication in systematic botany in 2002, the Guide to the Vascular Plants of Central French Guiana: Part 2. Dicotyledons. In 2007, he received the David Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration from the National Tropical Botanical Garden, in recognition of his efforts to document the Neotropical flora. It was also in 2007 that Scott received the Asa Gray Award from the American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT), for outstanding accomplishments in plant systematics (see Naczi, 2008). Scott used the study of Lecythidaceae, to make broader contributions to pollination ecology and understanding of the structure of the tropical rainforest. I (Iain Prance) most remember Scott as a highly efficient and energetic field botanist with whom it was both hard work and fun to be in the field (Figure 3). Both his taxonomy and vegetation work were based on extensive fieldwork in many different places. We both understood the habitat ecology of most species and collected many observations on pollination. He was a skillful tree climber and spent much energy climbing trees to collect specimens and to make observations on pollination. He was soon able to identify all the species of Euglossine bees that pollinate most of the Neotropical Lecythidaceae. He was happiest when out in the forest collecting and observing Lecythidaceae. On a field trip that we made together in 1976 on the oceanographic vessel R/V Alpha Helix to study genetic variation along the Amazon River from Manaus to Iquitos, Scott's lessons on tree climbing techniques were an eye opener for the ship's crew and the other scientists on board. Apart from Scott‘s publications, he was also able to draw international attention to the importance of the rich collections housed in Brazilian herbaria, especially those from the Mata Atlântica of Bahia. He also encouraged specialists from Brazil and abroad to visit those herbaria and study their specimens. Scott also managed to raise funds from WWF to carry out studies on species of the Atlantic Forests of Bahia, initiating a partnership, which is still a triumphant success today. Scott had boundless energy and enthusiasm for all he undertook, always ready to help Brazilian botanists when they were in the United States, or when he met them elsewhere. The botanical community in Brazil will miss him greatly, both as a botanical colleague, but especially as a great friend. [Ana Maria Giulietti-Harley & Ray Harley] Scott, more than most, appreciated that ecological work depends on sound taxonomy and the accumulated experience of professional taxonomists. Conversations with Scott profoundly influenced the design of fieldwork for the “Flora da Reserva Ducke” project (1992–1999), which resulted in a copiously illustrated field guide with about 2100 plant species. We were also lucky to inherit the excellently trained “mateiros” who had worked with Scott in the field and who later became co-authors of the Ducke Reserve Guide. Scott continues to be a role model at INPA for our graduate students who continue to use his work as basis for their studies. [Mike Hopkins] I now understand the significance of the decades that Scott spent working with other specialists to complete plant inventories. In French Guiana these efforts supported the preservation of 33,900 km2 of rain forest in the Parc Amazonien de Guyane. Its establishment was visionary: Guianan Shield forests are now predicted to experience fewer detrimental changes in precipitation than other parts of Amazonia. If French Guiana can continue to provide a rain forest refuge, that would be a fitting tribute. [Amy Berkov] Beyond my profound admiration for the high quality of Scott Mori's scientific articles, monographs, and books, which so greatly contributed to building our current knowledge in Tropical Biology, I also highlight his several attempts towards improving ecotourism by uniting communities and conservation to sustainable travels. As the senior editor of the book “Tropical Plant Collecting: From the Field to the Internet,” he gave us a great testimonial of his great experience and dedication to the knowledge of Latin America's flora, built during 40 years of fieldwork. Tropical plant science has now lost one of its most engaged and active botanists. We miss you, Scott. [José Rubens Pirani] Scott was an excellent mentor. He taught me the intricate details of preparing a taxonomic monograph, and I learned about fieldwork in the tropics by accompanying him on several expeditions. I am grateful to Scott for his encouragement, instruction, friendship, and the fact that he gave me the opportunity to do research at The New York Botanical Garden. What I will always remember about Scott is his integrity, humor, humility, and the breadth of his knowledge, which he was willing to share with all. He was not your average taxonomist but was interested in every aspect of the biology of the organisms that he studied. [John Mitchell] Scott's thorough study of the Brazil Nut tree (Mori & Prance, 1990) influenced my work considerably. Scott was the only taxonomist I knew who could describe plants and further add data about their phenology, habitat, fruit and seed biology, and ecology in general, especially animal-plant interactions, as well as usages for humans, whether or not with economical value. As a young naturalist, he was my modern model, as I was trying to learn everything about my study trees in the Guianas and Central Panama. [Pierre-Michel Forget] Scott's knowledge of and passion for tropical forests, their study, and conservation created a vortex that enveloped many researchers, students, donors, and practitioners, and brought forth a great body of knowledge and community of collaborators, exemplified in the great tome Guide to the Vascular Plants of Central French Guiana. Bats were my connection and how I got the honor of being one of Scott's students. I witnessed Scott's vortex in action during one of my months-long stays at the remote Nouragues research station when I finally found the source of the pollen that dominated the samples collected from nectar-feeding bats to identify the flowers they were visiting. The pollen came from some strange stick-like anthers littering the forest floor though presumably these had fallen from a plant high in the canopy. I put an image of the “sticks” on a memory stick and gave it and Scott's email address to a departing researcher asking him to send it to Scott once he reached civilization. Literally 36 hours later, the satellite phone rang and it was Scott. He had contacted a specialist in the Showy Mistletoe Family (Loranthaceae) and learned that the species was Psitticanthus acinarius. What could have taken years took only hours! And that is what it was like to work inside Scott's vortex. [Cullen Geiselman]. I first met Scott when I applied to be his assistant at The New York Botanical Garden. I was fresh out of college and had no professional experience, but Scott was kind and gave me a chance. That day was the beginning of a mentorship and friendship that lasted for two decades. Scott never stopped sharing his knowledge and ideas. His passion for natural history, work ethic, generosity, and encouragement positively influenced people in many parts of the world. Not a day goes by that I don't use something Scott taught me, and I am sure this is also true for the many other people he mentored over the years. [Nathan Smith] In 1990, Scott was working on the Guide to the Vascular Plants of Central French Guiana and studying the systematics and ecology of the Brazil nut family. I was a mid-career artist looking for a change. I serendipitously ended up in his tropical botany class at NYBG. When Scott realized that some students were novices, he met with us an hour early each week to help us out with the lingo; his wife Carol Gracie supplied the tropical fruits. Next, I accompanied Scott and Carol on one of their legendary eco-tours to Saül, French Guiana, where I would ultimately conduct my Ph.D. research under Scott's supervision. Having Scott as a mentor entirely transformed my life; it is difficult to imagine a different trajectory. [Amy Berkov] Scott and Carol Gracie were famous in the ecotourism community for their botanical excursions that allowed laypeople to experience the excitement of the rainforest, sharing this with many hundreds of participants over the years. One day Scott and Carol invited me to co-lead an ecotour to the Amazon. What an extraordinary experience it was, wandering around the forest and canoeing the tributaries in the day, and lecturing to the participants in the evening. [Michael Balick] I have vivid memories of the times in French Guiana on Mont La Fumée, on the slopes of which we did the forest inventory, when Scott and I labored to catch the bats that were visiting the white flowers of Lecythis poiteaui at night, by stringing mist nets high in the forest canopy. The physical difficulty and danger of this task, and the potentially great reward of new scientific discoveries involving a plant species that Scott adored, made for perfect nights in the French Guiana forest. As it turned out, for me too, as I was able to learn how to be a tropical botanist from a master practitioner of the art and science of the profession I embraced. [Brian Boom] His contribution to the botanical inventory of French Guiana took place mainly in the undisturbed rainforest surrounding the small village of Saül, at the very center of this French territory. Scott indeed became friends with everyone in the village, who welcomed every year his team of colleagues and students for their field session. [Jean-Jacques de Granville] My best memories from NYBG are about working with Scott, sometimes sharing stories, exchanging opinions, and even jokes. Scott was a gentleman—a combination of honest, educated, fair-minded, and important person all at the same time. He is one of the finest and the most sophisticated botanists I have ever known, and the best supervisor I have had. [Xavier Cornejo] Scott was a kind, energetic, enthusiastic, and brilliant scientist, who always gave more than he asked in return. Our collaboration and friendship over so many years was truly a gift that I will always treasure. [Michael Balick] I learned a lot with him, but most of all he taught me the best of lessons by his examples of kindness, generosity, and professional integrity, sharing his deep knowledge with everyone around and making the world around a better place. [Alexandre Oliveira] This great botanist leaves behind a legacy of more than 28,000 herbarium collections, ten books, numerous scientific papers on taxonomy, pollination biology, forest ecology, and conservation, as well as the many students whom he mentored. His contributions exemplify the importance of high-quality taxonomy to tropical biology and conservation as a whole, which will certainly continue to inspire botanists in the decades to come. Scott, we already miss you incredibly and thank you deeply for all that you have done. We thank Carol Gracie for suggestions and kindly providing us with photographs. We thank all botanists who shared testimonials, photos, and their memories with Scott. We also thank Bobbi Angel for sharing a high-resolution image of Disciphania moriorum (Menispermaceae).