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Mary Davis Treat: Pioneering Entomologist and Botanist

Explore the life and achievements of Mary Davis Treat, an overlooked figure in science who made significant contributions to entomology and botany. Learn about her research on butterfly larvae and her important discoveries in the field of natural science.

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Mary Davis Treat: Pioneering Entomologist and Botanist

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  1. UNIT4 The reproduction function MARY DAVIS TREAT Natural Science 2. Secondary Education

  2. UNIT4 Mary Davis Treat Brief biography • She was an entomologist and botanist. She was born in New York in 1830. • She lived in Vineland, New Jersey for most of her life. • In 1916, she returned to New York to live with her sister. She died in 1923 at the age of 92. New York, Mary Davis Treat’s home town Natural Science 2. Secondary Education

  3. UNIT4 Mary Davis Treat Contributions to science • She defended Darwin’s theory of evolution. Darwin also praised her work. However, despite this praise, she was not recognised by the scientific community because she was a woman. • Her first published works were detailed descriptions of insect life cycles, which were published in 1869. • She went on to write producing 76 articles and 5 books. • Many entomologists were able to use her research to classify insects. She discovered a number of species of insects, arachnids and plants. • The ant Aphanogaster treatiae and the amaryllis Zephyranthus treatiae were named after her. Charles Darwin, one of the scientists of the 19th century who saw the great value of Mary Davis Treat’s work. Natural Science 2. Secondary Education

  4. UNIT4 Mary Davis Treat Important discoveries • One of her most famous projects involved larvae of the Papilio asterius butterfly. • She discovered that the larvae that ate heavily developed into females, while those that ate little food became males. • She researched other butterfly species and obtained similar results. • Darwin wrote that her research on butterflies was better than any such research carried out until then. This praise helped her get the recognition she deserved, which she had been denied so often because of sexism. A Papilio butterfly similar to the subjects of Mary Davis’s research. Natural Science 2. Secondary Education

  5. UNIT4 Mary Davis Treat Activities What were Mary Davis Treat’s first scientific projects? Which famous scientist acknowledged this woman’s contributions to science? What were her most important projects? Natural Science 2. Secondary Education

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