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Kingsley Dixon
AO FTSE
Born
Kingsley Wayne Dixon

1954
CitizenshipAustralian
Alma materUniversity of Western Australia
Scientific career
FieldsBotany
InstitutionsCurtin University

Kingsley Wayne Dixon AO FTSE is an Australian botanist currently working as a professor at Curtin University. He was the founding Director of Science at Kings Park and Botanic Gardens, and helped to establish the laboratories there as among the world's leading.[1]

Early life

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Dixon grew up in the Perth suburb of Morley, Western Australia. He spent his time exploring the bushland that existed in the suburb during his childhood, which encouraged his interest in botany.[2][3]

Career

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Dixon received a Bachelor of Science (Hons) and a PhD from the University of Western Australia (UWA). Dixon was the founding Director of Science at Kings Park and Botanic Gardens from 1982 to 2014. Before working as a professor at Curtin University, he was a professor at UWA.[1]

One of Dixon's most notable achievements is the 1992 discovery of smoke as a cause for the germination of Australian plants after bushfires.[4] The study, which was published in 1995, applied knowledge which had previously been researched in South Africa to the native plants of his home state.[5][6]

He later helped to show that plant species in other parts of the world also have germination caused by smoke, showing that this is not exclusive to plants in fire-prone regions. After this, he started a study with scientists from UWA and Murdoch University to discover the specific chemicals in smoke that cause this effect, testing over 4,000 chemicals and eventually discovering a new molecule, named karrikinolide, after "karrik", the Noongar word for "smoke". The discovery was published in Science in 2004.[1]

Dixon featured on David Attenborough's documentary The Private Life of Plants in 2001.[1]

In December 2017, Dixon became a member of the Lotterywest board.[7][8]

Plant species first described by Dixon include Caladenia rosea, Caladenia lateritica, Desmocladus glomeratus and Rhizanthella johnstonii. Caleana dixonii was first identified as a distinct species by and named after Dixon.

Personal life

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Dixon owns a 160-acre (65 ha) property near Waroona named "Cypress Farm and Gardens", where he lives with his husband. The property was featured on the show Gardening Australia in 2023,[9] and had Australia's largest maple collection. The property was partially destroyed by a bushfire in March 2024.[10][11][12] Dixon was also an owner of the heritage-listed Halliday House in Bayswater between 1984 and 1992, where he worked to restore the garden and house.[13]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Professor Kingsley Dixon". Curtin University. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Western Australia has some of the most ancient and diverse flora on the planet". ABC Radio Perth. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  3. ^ "KINGSLEY DIXON—LIVING IN A BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT". Western Australian Naturalists' Club. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  4. ^ Dixon, Kingsley W.; Roche, Shauna; Pate, John S. (February 1995). "The promotive effect of smoke derived from burnt native vegetation on seed germination of Western Australian plants". Oecologia. 101 (2): 185–192. Bibcode:1995Oecol.101..185D. doi:10.1007/bf00317282. PMID 28306789. S2CID 29631845. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  5. ^ De Lange, J.H.; Boucher, C (December 1990). "Autecological studies on Audouinia capitata (Bruniaceae). I. Plant-derived smoke as a seed germination cue". South African Journal of Botany. 56 (6): 700–703. doi:10.1016/S0254-6299(16)31009-2. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  6. ^ Brown, N. A. C. (March 1993). "Promotion of germination of fynbos seeds by plant-derived smoke". New Phytologist. 123 (3): 575–583. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1993.tb03770.x.
  7. ^ "New commissioners appointed to Lotterywest Board". Media Statements. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  8. ^ "About us". Lotterywest. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  9. ^ "My Garden Path: Kingsley Dixon". ABC News. 8 December 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  10. ^ Runciman, Caleb (23 March 2024). "Cypress Farm and Gardens: South West garden owned by Curtin Uni Professor Kingsley Dixon destroyed by bushfire". The West Australian. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  11. ^ Caporn, Dylan; Hickey, Phil (24 March 2024). "Kingsley Dixon: Firefighters save Cypress Farm home of renowned scientist". The West Australian. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  12. ^ Cross, Daile; McNeill, Heather (25 March 2024). "Three homes lost as fire tears through bushland in WA's south". WAtoday. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Halliday House (P/AD)". inHerit. Heritage Council of Western Australia. June 2000. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Chancellor's medal for leading plant biologist". University of Western Australia. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Plant hero lauded". University of Western Australia. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  16. ^ "Past winners". Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  17. ^ "Curtin professor named WA Scientist of the Year". Curtin University. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  18. ^ "2020 ATSE New Fellows". Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. 26 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  19. ^ "Distinguished Professor Kingsley DIXON". Australian Honours Search Facility. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  20. ^ Hiatt, Bethany (11 June 2023). "King's Birthday Honours: Passion for natural world drives acclaimed botanist Kingsley Dixon". The West Australian. Retrieved 12 June 2023.

Further reading

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