John Alan (Jack) Elix (born 1941) emeritus professor in chemistry at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

, is an organic chemist who has contributed in many fields:

lichenology Lichenology is the branch of mycology that studies the lichens, symbiotic organisms made up of an intimate symbiotic association of a microscopic alga (or a cyanobacterium) with a Hypha, filamentous fungus. Lichens are chiefly characterized by th ...

, lichen

chemotaxonomy Merriam-Webster defines ''chemotaxonomy'' as the method of biological classification based on similarities and dissimilarity in the structure of certain compounds among the organisms being classified. Advocates argue that, as proteins are more c ...

, plant physiology and biodiversity and natural product chemistry. He has authored 2282 species names, and 67 genera in the field of

mycology Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungus, fungi, including their Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, genetics, biochemistry, biochemical properties, and ethnomycology, use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, Edible ...

. Elix edited the

exsiccata Exsiccata (Latin, ''gen.'' -ae, ''plur.'' -ae) is a work with "published, uniform, numbered set of preserved specimens distributed with printed labels". Typically, exsiccatae are numbered collections of dried herbarium Biological specimen, spe ...

series ''Lichenes Australasici exsiccati.''

Education

His first degree, B.Sc., and his Ph.D. were both in organic chemistry from the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. Its main campus in the Adelaide city centre includes many Sa ...

. This was followed by post-doctoral years at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

and then a D.Sc. in natural products chemistry from the

Career

Elix spent a post doctoral year in 1966 at Cambridge, returning to Australia in 1967 to a lectureship in chemistry at the ANU. He retired as professor of chemistry in 2002, becoming professor emeritus. By 1975 he had already published several papers on the organic chemistry of lichens, and ultimately leading to work on the evolution, taxonomy and phylogeny of lichens. For his work on lichens, Elix was awarded the

Acharius Medal __NOTOC__ The Acharius Medal is awarded by the International Association for Lichenology (IAL) for lifetime achievement in lichenology. The organization resolved at its 1990 meeting that it would simultaneously honor professional achievement and ...

in 2004 and the Nancy T Burbidge Medal in 2015. He is a prolific author (or coauthor) of new fungal and lichen species, having

formally described A species description is a formal scientific description of a newly encountered species, typically articulated through a scientific publication. Its purpose is to provide a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differ ...

about 1147 as of December 2017. He was honoured in 1997, when lichenologist

Helge Thorsten Lumbsch Helge Thorsten Lumbsch (born 1964) is a German-born lichenology, lichenologist living in the United States. His research interests include the phylogeny, taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, and phylogeography of lichen-forming fungi; lichen diversity; ...

published '' Elixiaceae'' which is a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

in the order

Umbilicariales The Umbilicariales are an order of lichenized fungi in the subclass Umbilicariomycetidae, class Lecanoromycetes. It contains five families: Elixiaceae, Fuscideaceae, Ophioparmaceae, Ropalosporaceae, and Umbilicariaceae. Umbilicariales was pr ...

. It contains two genera, '' Meridianelia'', and the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus (''genus typica'') is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearin ...

, '' Elixia'', which is named after John Alan Elix. He was also honoured again in 2004, with '' Melanelixia'', which is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

foliose lichen A foliose lichen is a lichen with flat, leaf-like , which are generally not firmly bonded to the substrate on which it grows. It is one of the three most common growth forms of lichens. It typically has distinct upper and lower surfaces, each o ...

s in the family

Parmeliaceae The Parmeliaceae is a large and diverse family of Lecanoromycetes. With over 2700 species in 71 genera, it is the largest family of lichen-forming fungi. The most speciose genera in the family are the well-known groups: '' Xanthoparmelia'' ( 82 ...

, and in 2016 with '' Astrothelium elixii'', a rare bark-dwelling Bolivian lichen.

Education

Career

Selected publications

See also

References

Further reading