The Branches of Ecology A 20th Century History

About this book

Ecology grew from a minor science, in 1900, into a major discipline in the 20th century. This book describes this development. A dramatic increase in ecological knowledge was accompanied by the formation of ecological professional societies. Universities added ecologists to their faculties. And governments acknowledged the need for ecologists to advise on the conservation of natural resources and to combat pollution. Ecology is still growing as a discipline and many local, regional and global environmental problems remain to be studied. Just how ecologists rose to these challenges is an exciting and inspiring narrative, which is the theme of this book.

Contents

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

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Biography

Frank Egerton graduated from Duke University with a major in zoology and an informal minor in botany. He has long been interested in ecology and taught history of science at Carnegie Mellon University and then at the 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.