Marija Edita Šolić (26 August 1946 - 31 October 2021), was a Croatian

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

museum curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

. She studied

Biokovo Biokovo () is the second-highest mountain range in Croatia, located along the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic Sea, between the rivers of Cetina and Neretva. It is sometimes referred to as ''Bijakova'', especially among inhabitants of the ...

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

and floristic

endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

, as well as

chorology Chorology (from Greek , , "place, space"; and , ''-logia'') can mean * the study of the causal relations between geographical phenomena occurring within a particular region * the study of the spatial distribution of organisms (biogeography). Use ...

systematic Systematic may refer to: Science * Short for systematic error * Systematic fault * Systematic bias, errors that are introduced by an inaccuracy inherent to the system Economy * Systematic trading, a way of defining trade goals, risk control ...

taxonomical In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon), and these groups are given ...

issues and

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manage ...

possibilities of the Biokovo area. Šoljan, D. (2022)
In memoriam Sister Edita, Marija Šolić, PhD (1946 – 2021)
''Acta Botanica Croatica'', 81 (1), S1-S5.

Early life and education

She was born in

Brštanovo Brštanovo is a village in the Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. The settlement is administered as a part of Klis Klis is a Croatian village and a municipality located around a mountain fortress bearing the same name. Population In the 2011 cens ...

near

Klis Klis is a Croatian village and a municipality located around a mountain fortress bearing the same name. Population In the 2011 census, the municipality of Klis had a total population of 4,801, consisting of the following settlements: * Bršta ...

, where she completed

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

, and in 1963 joined the order of the School Sisters of St. Francis, taking her

vow A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise that is solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a weddin ...

s and

religious name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholic Church, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should n ...

Edita in 1965. The following year, Šolić went to Franciscan convent in

Makarska Makarska () is a town on the Adriatic coastline of Croatia, about southeast of Split (city), Split and northwest of Dubrovnik, in the Split-Dalmatia County. Makarska is a prominent regional tourist center, located on a horseshoe-shaped bay bet ...

, where she was employed at the Malacology Museum, becoming Jure Radić's associate. Together they worked on the establishment of the Mountain and the Sea Institute ( Croatian: Institut "Planina i more") and forming the malacological collection, collections of

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

mollusks Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The num ...

and other

invertebrates Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordate subphylum ...

, as well as live and

herbaria A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...

plant collection Plant collecting is the acquisition of plant specimens for the purposes of research, cultivation, or as a hobby. Plant specimens may be kept alive, but are more commonly dried and pressed to preserve the quality of the specimen. Plant collectin ...

s. On 26 September 1972 at the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science,

University of Sarajevo The University of Sarajevo (Bosnian language, Bosnian, Croatian language, Croatian and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a List of universities in Bo ...

she passed an

entrance exam In education, an entrance examination or admission examination is an examination that educational institutions conduct to select prospective students. It may be held at any stage of education, from primary to tertiary, even though it is typicall ...

, enrolling Environment Conservation study. Šolić graduated

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

on 24 August 1980 with

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

''“Significant Biokovo plants with special emphasis on their protection”'' under the supervision of Professor Radomir Lakušić. On 30 May 1986 she successfully defended her

master's thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...

''“Chorologic-ecological and phenologic-morphological differentiation of Biokovo’s endemic Centaureas from subgenus Acrolophus (Cass.) Dobr.-Kov.”''. Šolić acquired her

doctoral degree A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

at the

Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb Faculty of Science (,lit. the Faculty of natural sciences and mathematics abbr: ''PMF'') is a faculty of the University of Zagreb that comprises seven departments - biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, geophysics, geography and geology. Th ...

on July 14, 1993. with dissertation ''“Floristic-ecological features of the coastal slopes of Mt Biokovo"''.

Professional work

During her postgraduate education by working in the Malacology Museum and the Mountain and the Sea Institute she gain knowledge in

malacology Malacology, from Ancient Greek μαλακός (''malakós''), meaning "soft", and λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (molluscs or mollusks), the second-largest ...

and

museology Museology (also called museum studies or museum science) is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and ed ...

, advancing to the position of the

. Along with institutional work, she did extensive

field research Field research, field studies, or fieldwork is the collection of raw data outside a laboratory, library, or workplace setting. The approaches and methods used in field research vary across disciplines. For example, biologists who conduct fi ...

es at Biokovo mountain range. She became the curator of the Herbarium, established in 1963, which was recognized and registered as the Herbarium of the Biokovo Area.Index Herbarium ID: 124939, MAKAR She attained the rank of scientific assistant on 17 December 1992 and upon the decision of the Ministry of Science of the Republic of Croatia was entered in the Register of Researchers on 11 February 1993. Her scientific interest included

autecology Autecology is an approach in ecology that seeks to explain the distribution and abundance of species by studying interactions of individual organisms with their environments. An autecological approach differs from ecosystem ecology, community ecolo ...

synecology In ecology, a community is a group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time, also known as a biocoenosis, biotic community, biological community, ecological community, ...

, as well as malacofauna of the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

. She was member of the

editorial board The editorial board is a group of editors, writers, and other people who are charged with implementing a publication's approach to editorials and other opinion pieces. The editorials published normally represent the views or goals of the publicat ...

(1983-2001) and

journal editor A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of personal secretive thoughts and as open book to personal therapy or used to feel connected to onesel ...

(1997-2001) of ''Acta Biocovica'', as well as an associate at the Institute of Oceanography and Fishery in Split (2002-2010). Sister Šolić was active in popularisation of

bioscience ''BioScience'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal that is published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Institute of Biological Sciences. It was established in 1964 and was preceded by the ''AIBS Bulletin'' (1951–1 ...

s, giving lectures to various audiences (from

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

to students) and advocating for

nature conservation Nature conservation is the ethic/moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values ...

of Mt. Biokovo and the surrounding of Makarska.

Personal life

Her parents Petar and Luca had nine children, Marija being third oldest. During

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

family moves to

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

, where due to

hunger In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In t ...

their two children died. By returning to Brštanovo, Marija was born, as the oldest of the living children. Šolić entered

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

of School Sisters of St. Francis in Split on 1 May 1963, starting her

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

on 8 September 1965, at the feast of

Nativity of Mary The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of Mary, Marymas or the Birth of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus. The modern Biblical canon does not record Mary's birth. The ...

. She gave temporary vows on 9 September 1966 and lifelong on 25 August 1971. She died in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

on 31 October 2021 and was buried at the Lovinac cemetery in Split, on 4 November 2021.

Acknowledgements

* Silver Plaque for the exceptional achievements and merits in the promotion of the Croatian economy (Croatian Chamber of Commerce, 1992) * Award of Biokovo Croatian Mountaineering Association (1996) * Annual Award and recognition of the achievements in the fields of environment conservation and biological and environmental diversity (1997) * City of Makarska Award (1998)

Selected works

;Book chapters * Šolić, M.E., 1983: "Poznavanje flore Biokova od Visianija do danas". In: Pavletić, Z., Matković, P., Grubšić, S. (eds.),'' Zbornik Roberta Visianija Šibenčanina'', 349–364. Muzej grada Šibenika, Šibenik. * Šolić, M.E., 1999: "Prirodna baština - nezaobilazani temelj odgoja i obrazovanja". In: Macan, T. (ed.), ''Hrvatska i održivi razvitak. Humane i odgojne vrednote''. Ministarstvo razvitka i obnove, Zagreb. * Pustahija, F., Šolić, E.M., Siljak-Yakovlev, S., 2017: "Karyological study of some Mediterranean species from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Lebanon". In: Kamari, G., Blanché, C., Siljak-Yakovlev, S. (eds.), ''Mediterranean chromosome data – 27. Flora Mediterranea 27'', 295–301

References

External links

Bibliography
in CROSBI
Bibliography
at Researchgate {{DEFAULTSORT:Šolić, Marija Edita 1946 births 2021 deaths People from Split-Dalmatia County Croatian botanists Women botanists University of Sarajevo alumni Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb alumni Third Order Regular Franciscans Croatian Roman Catholic religious sisters and nuns Croatian women curators