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Book Review
| The Evolution of American Ecology: 1890–2000. By Sharon E. Kingsland. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005. x + 313 pp. Illustrations, notes, essay on sources, index. Cloth $50.00.
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| In Modeling Nature (1995), Sharon Kingsland explored the development of population ecology, focusing on the applications of mathematical modeling to population processes. In this book she continues her historical explorations of the roots of ecology by examining the growth and development of American ecology. Kingsland states "I am interested in how ecology came to define its separate niche, that is, how it became a discipline in the United States, and what challenges have faced ecologists over the twentieth century as the disciplinary environment has changed and the niche has been reshaped." Whereas her first book was zoological in orientation, this one is primarily botanical. The American environment provided many unique ecosystems and American botanists were determined to separate themselves from European botanists, particularly with respect to the taxonomical aspects of botany, and in doing so, established unique procedures, as well as unique institutions to support their work. Thus this book is not only a history of individuals and ideas, but also institutions. |
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In the first chapters, Kingsland homes in on the contributions of the Carnegie Institution, the Desert Botanical Laboratory, and the New York Botanical Garden, founded in the 1890s with members of the Torrey Botanical Society, particularly Nathaniel Lord Britton, as its primary backers. The Carnegie Institution played a role in supporting the New York Botanical Garden and in the founding of the Desert Botanical Laboratory, which was established in Tucson in 1903; the focus of the New York Botanical Garden was on taxonomy, genetics, and public displays of plants, while the Desert Botanical Laboratory focused on the adaptations of plants to their environments. |
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In the second part of the book, she transitions from institutions to ideas, beginning with a focus on the idea of plant succession and the contributions of Frederick Clements and Henry Allan Gleason, integrating their work into the larger question of "man's role in changing the face of the earth" and predicting the future of the American environment. From there she moves to the development of the ecosystem idea and describes the role of the national laboratories, particularly Oakridge National Laboratory and a new offshoot of the New York Botanical Garden, the Institute for Ecosystem Studies (1983). While passing through these topics Kingsland discusses the use of radioisotopes, fire ecology, and ecological models. She concludes with a discussion of the Long Term Ecological Research program, especially the urban research sites in Baltimore and Phoenix. In this section she brings out the idea that ecologists finally realized that humans are part of the system and that ecology will not make sense unless humans are included in the system. This contrasts with the efforts of earlier ecologists who wanted only to study "pristine" environments. |
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How well does she accomplish her goal of showing how ecology established its niche? Very adequately with verve, might be the response. Some of the topics are covered in depth by other books and these are listed in her "Essay on Sources." Because she ties her history of the discipline into the history of American ideas, the reader receives a broader understanding than one might get from reading Robert P. McIntosh's book The Background of Ecology (1986). Although Kingsland attempts to cover some of the newer thrusts in ecology, there are some she misses: chaos theory, landscape ecology, signaling theory, wavelets, gap analysis, and fragmentation, just to mention a few. She mentions many participants, but does not mention the contributions of Robert May. Is this because he was an import? He did return to England, but while he was stateside, he was an important contributor. Lastly, she does not mention Aldo Leopold and his land ethic idea, an extremely important aspect when examining our relationship to our environment. |
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The book is sparsely illustrated with black-and-white photos and a few diagrams from selected journal articles. The references are organized around chapter notes and other than the "Essay on Sources" there is no comprehensive bibliography. The index is adequate. Anyone interested in the history of American ecology and its relationship to our changing perspective on the environment will find this a worthwhile read and a clear exposition of those changes. The juxtaposition of extremely detailed chapters on botanical ecology in the first half with the somewhat "shotgun" approach to topics in the second half reflects the transformations that have taken place in American ecology. |
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Larry Thomas Spencer is an ecologist and historian of science associated with the Biological Sciences Department at Plymouth State University, Plymouth, N.H. He is working on a manuscript concerning J. Roger Bray and ecological ordination. |
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