The terms “ecosystem” and “Dust Bowl” coincidentally both entered the English language in 1935. Before then ecologists had focused on the study of plant and animal “communities,” but British ecologist Arthur Tansley thought they were neglecting the surrounding earth, air, and water. He suggested that the word “ecosystem” better captured the connections between the living […]
Author Archives: Sharon Kingsland
Sharon Kingsland is a historian of science and professor at Johns Hopkins University. Her current research deals with postwar changes in ecological science, responding to the need to boost agricultural productivity to feed the world’s growing population.