The reproduction function

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The reproduction function
MARY DAVIS TREAT
Natural Science 2. Secondary Education
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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 Treats home town
Natural Science 2. Secondary Education
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UNIT4
Mary Davis Treat
Contributions to science

• She defended Darwins 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
Treats work.
Natural Science 2. Secondary Education
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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 Daviss research.
Natural Science 2. Secondary Education
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UNIT4
Mary Davis Treat
Activities

1. What were Mary Davis Treats first scientific
   projects?
2. Which famous scientist acknowledged this womans
   contributions to science?
3. What were her most important projects?

Natural Science 2. Secondary Education