The ecological sciences are a diverse array of major scientific disciplines. They grew from minor sciences, with little status in 1900, and now occupy crucial areas of research bearing on the future of our planet. This book describes a century of growth and development. A dramatic century-long rise in the status of ecological knowledge was accompanied by the rise of professional ecological organizations, the establishment of university faculties, and the creation of government agencies advising on conservation, natural resources, and the prevention of pollution. Like all sciences, ecology continues to yield new findings and surprising revelations. New technologies now address existential challenges facing our world. This book, documenting the rise of ecology, is an inspiring history portending an important role in the twenty-first century.
Key Features:
- The author is the acknowledged authority on the history of ecology
- The content is familiar to members of the Ecological Society of America but has not previously been assembled into a single narrative
- Appropriate for a course in the history of ecology
- Provides a broad perspective on ecology
Related Titles:
Egerton, F. N. A Centennial History of the Ecological Society of America (ISBN 978-0-3673-7763-2).
Rieppel, O. Phylogenetic Systematics: Haeckel to Hennig (ISBN 978-0-3678-7645-6)
Dronamraju, K. A Century of Geneticists: Mutation to Medicine (ISBN 978-1-4987-4866-7)
Chapter 1. Introduction: Before 1900. Chapter 2. Formalizing Ecological Sciences. A. Plant Ecology. B. Animal Ecology. C. Limnology. D. Marine Ecology. Chapter 3. Some Specializations. A. Organizing Ecologists before 1946. B. Symbiosis Studies. C. Succession, Community, Continuum. D. Ecosystems, Systems, Productivity. Chapter 4. Aquatic Ecology. A. Limnology in America, 1930s-90s. B. North America’s Great Lakes. C. Marine Ecology, 1920s-90s. a. Beebe, Bigelow, Ricketts. b. Carson, Riley, Cousteau, Clark. c. Conclusions. Chapter 5. Aspects of Animal Ecology. A. Physiological Animal Ecology. B. Ethology. C. Animal Population Ecology. D. Saving Habitats and Managing Wildlife in North America. Chapter 6. Biogeography. A. 1700-1840. B. 1840-1940s. C. Marine Biogeography, 1697-1940s. D. 1950-80. Chapter 7. Biosphere Ecology
Biography
Frank Egerton graduated from Duke University with major in zoology and informal minor in botany. He has had a long interest in ecology and has taught history of science at Carnegie Mellon University and then at University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha. He has also taught American environmental history and authored Roots of Ecology: Antiquity to Haeckel and A Centennial History of the Ecological Society of America. His long running series of short historical vignettes, which have appeared in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, form the basis of this new book.
