Given at ESA2012 By Tewksbury and Rowell

2. Lu et al. 2009
Diuk-Wasser 2012
Δ NPP Δ NPP summer
Ciais et al. 2005
Dry
Days
IPPC 2007

3. e details Matter:
Natural History
Serving Society
Joshua Tewksbury Walker Professor of Natural
History, Department of Biology and College of the
Environment, University of Washington
“Staying out of the fray is not Kirsten Rowell
taking the 'high ground'; it is Curator of Malacology, Burke Museum of Natural
just passing the buck”
History Culture, University of Washington
(Steve Schneider)

4. e details Matter:
Natural History
Serving Society
Stephanie Hampton, Jonathan Bakker,
Noelle Machnicki, Jennifer Ruesink,
John Anderson, Tim Billo, Terry
Wheeler, Carlos Martinez del Rio,
“Staying out of the fray is not Doug Levey, Liam Stacey, Peter
taking the 'high ground'; it is
just passing the buck” Dunwiddie, Steve Trombulak, Martha
(Steve Schneider) Groom, Mary Power, Anne Salomon

5. Importance:
Natural History
and predictive ecology
• Importance
• Decline?
– Exposure
– Experts
“Accuse not Nature. – Access
She has done her
part; Do ou but
ine”
(John Milton,
• Future
Paradise Lost 1667)

6. Importance:
Natural History
and predictive ecology
e ideal scientist thinks
like a poet and works
like a bookkeeper.
(E.O. Wilson, 1998)
Spencer et al.
1991

7. Importance:
Natural History
and predictive ecology
1.2
Cases of Cholera per 1000
1.0
0.8
chlorophyll
0.6
Natural 0.4
History 0.2
protects low high
human Colwell et al. 2003, 0.0
Control Nylon Sari
health Huq et al 1996

8. Decline
Exposure, Experts, Access
“Curiosity is
insubordination in its
purest form”
(Vladimir Nabokov)

9. Decline
Exposure, Experts, Access

10. Exposure:
minimum natural history
required for a BS in Biology

11. Exposure
Is declining
“To pay attention,
this is our endless and
proper work.”
(Mary Oliver)
2.25
2.0
1.0
0.0
0.0
0.5
Year: P < 0.0001 (LRT test)
(GLLM w/ 35 institutions; institution as
random effect, Poisson error structure)

12. Exposure
natural history in introductory
biology texts from 1930 to 2011

13. Exposure
is declining
Natural history material in college
biology textbooks (prop. of total)
courses for a BS in Biology
Minimum natural history
0.6
“To pay attention,
3 this is our endless and
0.4 proper work.”
(Mary Oliver)
2
0.2
1
0.0
Modified Logistic
[y =y0 + a/(1+(x/x0)b)] w/ 38
texts): RSS / TSS = 0.92

14. Experts
Natural History in
graduate education
First full facts,
then interpretations
(T. C. Chamberlain 1890)

15. Experts
Proportion of PhDs by Discipline (U.S.A)
PhDs per year in Biological Sciences (U.S.)
0.5 7000
Natural History in Natural
graduate education history rich 6000
0.4 Disciplines
We are 5000
0.3
entering the
4000
molecular
0.2
age… microbiology and
molecular biology
3000
0.1 2000
First full facts, 0.0 1000
then interpretations
(T. C. Chamberlain 1890)

16. Access
Consolidation of
collections
Pay attention to the mystery. Rediscover in nature
“Do
bblack
rapes
oof
he
New York
“Do
lack
g grapes
f
t the
B. iers, in your own biology. Write and speak with
desert
have
a
basic
desert
have
a basic
Botanicaltears?”
thirst
for
Garden's Virtual
appreciation for all you have been gifted.
thirst
for
tears?”
(Barry Lopez)
-­‐P.
NNeruda
-­‐P.
eruda
Herbarium. (2012)

17. Access US and Europe have been
Consolidation of losing herberia since 1990
collections
Europe
Europe
Global US
North
America
“Do
bblack
rapes
oof
he
New York
“Do
lack
g grapes
f
t the
B. iers, in
desert
have
a
basic
desert
have
a basic
Botanicaltears?”
thirst
for
Garden's Virtual
thirst
for
tears?”
-­‐P.
NNeruda
-­‐P.
eruda
Herbarium. (2012)

18. Importance:
Natural History
and predictive ecology
• Importance
• Decline
– Exposure
– Experts
“Accuse not Nature. – Access
She has done her
part; Do ou but
ine”
(John Milton,
• Future
Paradise Lost 1667)

19. Future:
A prescription for 21st century ecology
• 21st century
– Collaboration
– Curation
– Transparency
– Technology
• Science as Civics
“In the depth of winter – Saving the
I finally learned that
there was in me an
world in our
invincible summer” spare time
(Albert Camas)

20. Nat. History Section Mixer All art used in
6:30, Doubletree collaboration with
three sisters room the artists
e Initiative:
Natural History Network
e Burke Museum of Natural
History and Culture,
Prescott College,
BDSJS.COM, NCEAS
Funding: National Science
Foundation and e College
of Environment, UW