Crozier, Ross H. (1943-2009)

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
http://cms.jcu.edu.au/news/JCUPRD_053958

One of Australia’s leading biological scientists Professor Ross Crozier has died in Townsville. He was world renowned for his contributions to evolutionary theory, behavioural biology and to genetics.

An Australian Research Council Professorial fellow based at James Cook University, Professor Crozier was a world leader in the study of social insects.

Described by his fellow academics as a true friend, colleague and mentor to many people in the JCU community, Professor Crozier collapsed at the University on Thursday (November 12) and was taken to hospital where efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Professor Crozier is survived by his wife Ching, a senior research worker at James Cook University, and two sons.

The Vice Chancellor of JCU, Professor Sandra Harding, said that Professor Crozier would be sadly missed. “He was an outstanding academic and, in my experience, an outstanding colleague in the best sense of the term,” she said.

Born in India in 1943, Professor Crozier was educated at Geelong Grammar, Melbourne University and did his PhD at Cornell University in the United States.

He worked at the University of Georgia in the early 1970s before beginning a l5-year career with the University of New South Wales in 1975, culminating in a personal chair as a Professor from 1989 to 1990.

In 1990 he was appointed Professor of Genetics at LaTrobe University and in 2000 he moved to James Cook University where he was Professor of Evolutionary Genetics until awarded an ARC professorial Fellowship in 2006.

The same year his work was recognised internationally when he was awarded the inaugural Hamilton award by the International Union for the Study of Social Insects at their world Congress in Washington.

The award was for his life-time contribution to the knowledge of the evolution of social insects, for studies of their evolutionary genetics and for fostering the careers of now leading researchers.

Professor Crozier was elected to the Australian Academy of Science in 2003 in recognition of his significant contribution to the world’s scientific knowledge of tropical biology, and in particular the fields of molecular evolution, molecular phylogeny of insects, birds and mammals and sociobiology.

ANT TAXONOMY
Published numerous papers on ant chromosomes and ant genetics.

PUBLICATIONS

 * Burgman MA, Crozier RH, Taylor RW. 1980. Comparison of different methods of determining affinities for nine ant species of the genus Camponotus. Aust. J. Zool. 28:151-160.


 * [[Media:Buschinger Peeters Crozier 1990.pdf|Buschinger, A., Peeters, C. & Crozier, R.H. 1990. Life-pattern studies on an Australian Sphinctomyrmex: functional polygyny, brood periodicity and raiding behavior. Psyche 96 (1989): 287-300. [1990.] PDF]]


 * Chapuisat M, Painter JN, Crozier RH. 2000. Microsatellite markers for Rhytidoponera metallica and other ponerine ants. Mol. Ecol. 9:2129-2131.


 * [[Media:Chiotis 2000.pdf|Chiotis, M., Jermiin, L.S. & Crozier, R.H. 2000. A molecular framework for the phylogeny of the ant subfamily Dolichoderinae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 17: 108-116.]]


 * Crosland MWJ, Crozier RH. 1986. Myrmecia pilosula: an ant with one pair of chromosomes. Science 231:1278.


 * [[Media:Crossland et al 1988.pdf|Crosland, M. W. J.; Crozier, R. H.; Imai, H. T. 1988. Evidence for several sibling biological species centred on Myrmecia pilosula (F. Smith) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J. Aust. Entomol. Soc. 27: 13-14.]]


 * Crosland MWJ, Crozier RH, Jefferson E. 1988. Aspects of the biology of the primitive ant genus Myrmecia F. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J. Aust. Ent. Soc. 27:305-309.


 * [[Media:Crozier 1968b.pdf|Crozier, R. H. 1968b. Interpopulation karyotype differences in Australian Iridomyrmex of the "detectus" group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae). J. Aust. Entomol. Soc. 7: 25-27.]]


 * [[Media:Crozier 1968c.pdf|Crozier, R. H. 1968c. The chromosomes of three Australian dacetine ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Psyche (Camb.) 75: 87-90.]]


 * [[Media:Crozier 1969a.pdf|Crozier, R. H. 1969a [1968]. Cytotaxonomic studies on some Australian dolichoderine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Caryologia 21: 241-259.]]


 * [[Media:Crozier 1970a.pdf|Crozier, R. H. 1970a. Karyotypes of twenty-one ant species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), with reviews of the known ant karyotypes. Can. J. Genet. Cytol. 12: 109-128.]]


 * Crozier RH. 1981. Genetic aspects of ant evolution. In: Atchley WR, Woodruff DC, editors. Essays in evolution and speciation in honor of M.J.D. White. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge Univ Press. p 356-370.


 * Crozier RH. 1985. Adaptive consequences of male-haploidy. In: Helle W, Sabelis MW, editors. Spider mites. Their biology, natural enemies and control. Amsterdam: Elsevier. p 201-222.


 * Crozier RH. 1986. Genetic clonal recognition abilities in marine invertebrates must be maintained by selection for something else. Evolution 40:1100-1101.


 * Crozier RH. 1987. Genetic aspects of kin recognition: concepts, models, and synthesis. In: Fletcher DJC, Michener CD, editors. Kin recognition in animals. New York: Wiley. p 55-73.


 * Crozier RH. 1988. Kin recognition using innate labels: a central role for piggy-backing? In: Grosberg RK, Hedgecock D, Nelson K, editors. Invertebrate historecognition: Plenum. p 143-156.


 * Crozier RH. 1992. The genetic evolution of flexible strategies. Am. Nat. 139:218-223.


 * Crozier RH, Dobric N, Imai HT, Graur D, Cornuet J-M, Taylor RW. 1995. Mitochondrial-DNA sequence evidence on the phylogeny of Australian Jack-jumper ants of the Myrmecia pilosula complex. Mol. Phylog. Evol. 4:20-30.


 * Crozier RH, Fjerdingstad EJ. 2001. Polyandry in social Hymenoptera - disunity in diversity? Ann. Zool. Fennici 38:267-285.


 * [[Media:Crozier 1997.pdf|Crozier, R.H., Jermiin, L.S. & Chiotis, M. 1997. Molecular evidence for a Jurassic origin of ants. Naturwissenschaften 84: 22-23.]]


 * Crozier RH, Page RE. 1985. On being the right size: male contributions and multiple mating in social Hymenoptera. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 18:105-115.


 * Crozier RH, Pamilo P. 1980. Asymmetry in relatedness: who is related to whom? Nature 283:604.


 * Crozier RH, Pamilo P. 1986. Relatedness within and between colonies of a queenless ant species of the genus Rhytidoponera (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Entomol. General. 11:113-117.


 * Crozier RH, Pamilo P. 1993. Sex allocation in social insects: problems in prediction and estimation. In: Wrensch DL, Ebbert MA, editors. Evolution and diversity of sex ratio in insects and mites. New York: Chapman & Hall. p 369-383.


 * Crozier RH, Pamilo P. 1996. Evolution of social insect colonies. Sex allocation and kin-selection. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. 320 p.


 * Crozier RH, Pamilo P, Taylor RW, Crozier YC. 1986. Evolutionary patterns in some putative Australian species in the ant genus Rhytidoponera. Aust. J. Zool. 34:535-560.


 * Fraser VS, Kaufmann B, Oldroyd BP, Crozier RH. 2000. Genetic influence on caste in the ant Camponotus consobrinus. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 47:188-194.


 * Freeland J, Crozier RH, Marc J. 1982. On the occurrence of arolia in ant feet. J. Aust. Entomol. Soc. 21:257-262.


 * Henshaw MT, Kunzmann N, Vanderwoude C, Sanetra M, Crozier RH. 2005. Population genetics and history of the introduced fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), in Australia. Aust. J. Entomol. in press.


 * [[Media:Imai & Crozier & Taylor 1977.pdf|Imai, H. T.; Crozier, R. H.; Taylor, R. W. 1977. Karyotype evolution in Australian ants. Chromosoma (Berl.) 59: 341-393.]]


 * [[Media:Imai Taylor & Crozier 1994.pdf|Imai, H. T.; Taylor, R. W.; Crozier, R. H. 1994. Experimental bases for the minimum interaction theory. I. Chromosome evolution in ants of the Myrmecia pilosula species complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmeciinae). Jpn. J. Genet. 69: 137-182.]]


 * Imai HT, Taylor RW, Crosland MJW, Crozier RH. 1988. Modes of spontaneous chromosomal mutation and karyotype evolution in ants with reference to the minimum interaction hypothesis. Jpn. J. Genet. 63:159-185.


 * Imai HT, Taylor RW, Crozier RH. 1994. Experimental bases for the minimum interaction hypothesis: 1. Chromosome evolution in ants of the Myrmecia pilosula species complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmeciinae). Japan. J. Genet. 69:137-182.


 * [[Media:Crozier 1984.pdf|Itow, T.; Kobayashi, K.; Kubota, M.; Ogata, K.; Imai, H. T.; Crozier, R. H. 1984. The reproductive cycle of the queenless ant Pristomyrmex pungens. Insectes Soc. 31: 87-102.]]


 * Jermiin LS, Crozier RH. 1994. The cytochrome b region in the mitochondrial DNA of the ant Tetraponera rufoniger: sequence divergence in Hymenoptera may be associated with nucleotide content. J. Mol. Evol. 38:282-294.


 * Jermiin LS, Graur D, Lowe RM, Crozier RH. 1994. Analysis of directional mutation pressure and nucleotide content in mitochondrial cytochrome b genes. J. Mol. Evol. 39:160-173.


 * Johnson RN, Agapow P-M, Crozier RH. 2003. A tree island approach to inferring phylogeny in the ant subfamily Formicinae, with especial reference to the evolution of weaving. Mol. Phylog. Evol. 29:317-330.


 * Pamilo P, Crozier RH. 1982. Measuring relatedness in natural populations: Methodology. Theoret Popul Biol 21:171-193.


 * Pamilo P, Crozier RH. 1996. Reproductive skew simplified. Oikos 75:533-535.


 * Pamilo P, Crozier RH, Fraser J. 1985. Internest interactions, nest autonomy, and reproductive specialization in an Australian arid-zone ant, Rhytidoponera sp. 12. Psyche 92:217-236.


 * Peeters C, Crozier RH. 1988. Caste and reproduction in ants: not all mated egg-layers are "queens". Psyche 95:283-288.


 * Sanetra M, Crozier RH. 2000. Characterization of microsatellite loci in the primitive ant Nothomyrmecia macrops Clark. Mol. Ecol. 9:2169-2170.


 * Sanetra M, Crozier RH. 2001. Polyandry and colony genetic structure in the primitive ant Nothomyrmecia macrops. J. Evol. Biol. 14:368-378.


 * Sanetra M, Crozier RH. 2002. Daughters inherit colonies from mothers in the 'living-fossil' ant Nothomyrmecia macrops. Naturwissenschaften 89:71-74.


 * Tay WT, Crozier RH. 2000. Microsatellite analysis of gamergate relatedness of the queenless ponerine ant Rhytidoponera sp. 12. Ins. Soc. 47:188-192.


 * Tay WT, Crozier RH. 2000. Nestmate interactions and egg-laying behavior in the queenless ponerine ant Rhytidoponera sp. 12. Ins. Soc. 47:133-140.


 * Tay WT, Crozier RH. 2001. Mating behaviour of Rhytidoponera sp 12 ants inferred from microsatellite analysis. Mol. Ecol. 10:167-173.