Fundamentals of Ecology by Eugene P. Odum

“You’ll correct them in the second edition.”īut there were not many corrections to make. “You’ll learn as you write,” his father responded. “What if I don’t know enough yet?” Odum recalled asking his father, in an interview with Craige. Odum, a renowned sociologist at the University of North Carolina, who taught his sons to never lose sight of the big picture, and who urged Eugene to write his textbook. These ideas were inspired in part by Odum’s father, Howard W. This book was the first to suggest that scientists approach nature “top-down.”Įugene Odum traveled far and wide to lecture about the science of ecology.Įugene Odum pioneered the concept of the ecosystem - the holistic understanding of the environment as a system of interlocking biotic communities.

“Fundamentals of Ecology,” which Odum published in 1953 with his younger brother and fellow ecologist Howard, was the discipline’s only textbook for more than a decade. “He was a true visionary he saw things that others didn’t,” said Betty Jean Craige, University of Georgia Professor Emerita of comparative literature and the author of “Eugene Odum: Ecosystem Ecologist and Environmentalist.” “He spoke intensely and passionately about saving the environment, but he used his model as a way of thinking about the world.” created Earth Day, Odum’s research and advocacy inspired the modern environmental movement. Odum School of Ecology - the world’s first stand-alone college of ecology, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.īefore lead was banned from gasoline, before Rachel Carson published Silent Spring about the dangers of pesticides and before the U.S.

He is lionized throughout science as the father of modern ecology and recognized by the University of Georgia as the founder of what became the Eugene P. That night, he began writing a guiding set of principles that would ultimately serve as the foundation for the discipline’s first textbook. Odum stormed out of the room but was not deterred. His fellow scientists looked at him and laughed. In a meeting with his colleagues, Odum suggested that his ecology class be required of all new biology majors. Odum, then a young associate professor in the University of Georgia’s biology department, had taught a course on ecology for several semesters and was passionate about the subject. Editor’s Note: This is the second story in a new series, called Georgia Groundbreakers, that celebrates innovative and visionary faculty, students, alumni and leaders throughout the history of the University of Georgia - and their profound, enduring impact on our state, our nation and the world.Įugene Odum was not given to fits of anger, but this time he was furious.

Fundamentals of Ecology by Eugene P. Odum