Nature's Economy: A History of Ecological Ideas. by D. Worster Review by: J. Sheail Journal of Ecology, Vol. 83, No. 3 (Jun.

, 1995), pp. 556-557 Published by: British Ecological Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2261620 . Accessed: 04/12/2013 07:09
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556 Reviews

of chapter in thecontext mentioned in theconcluding work the extensive global warming, thoughneither highelevation pollencores relating data from tropical that to historical climatechange,nor the possibility theforces whichcreatedhighelevationareas maybe responsible for orbital shifts leading to climate is a different to. This however, change,are referred whichthe and function subjectarea from plantform book coverswell,makingit a usefuland interesting to the understanding of tropicalalpine contribution ecosystems.
J.C. LOVETT

H.M. van Emden& P.G.W.J.van O.T. Solbrig, Oordt(eds) (1994) and GlobalChange Biodiversity
(in Wallingford Pp. ix+ 227. CAB International, Price associationwithIUBS). ISBN 0-85198931-4. ?19.95 (paperback). expandhas beenone ofthemostrapidly Biodiversity sciencein recentyears ing areas of interdisciplinary as a political and continuesto grow in importance issue. It is easy to be swamped by the numerous plansand policy action papers, books,research reviews, documentsthat pour out of the pressesconcerning thatprovidea broad,wellPublications biodiversity. and up to date overvieware invaluable. informed This book oughtto be one such source,and in many byleadare contributed itis. The 18 chapters respects and therangeof thetopicscoveredis ing authorities the book has an air of having broad. Unfortunately been lostin time.This arisesbecause thepaperswere held in 1991, at an IUBS symposium presented first ten monthsbeforethe 'Earth Summit'took place in editionwas publishedin 1992 and the Rio. A first in thelight of many editionhas been revised, present thathave initiatives of thenationaland international on BiologicalDiverfollowedby the Rio Convention sity. The book is arrangedin four sections:an introin biodiversity duction, theoreticalconsiderations, of biodiversity. timeand space and theconservation providea personalperspective The chapters typically of thana synthesis on theissuestheyaddress,rather Solof them rather some quirky. opinions.I fo-und ranges fromthe to biodiversity brig's introduction to thesecondlaw of of DNA to confirm requirement to the code,to the'big-bang' thermodynamics, genetic that 'humansdependfor the conclusion and reaches as such,but on a not on biodiversity their sustenance lessthan the of world's species, diminutive proportion be that could is much them'. There argued of 0.01% whichmakes it a stimulating about in thischapter, read. as a keycomponent of systematics The importance in May's scienceis forcefully ofbiodiversity presented

the numberof specieson Earth. chapterconcerning oursocieties' so dramatises that'nothing He considers area of scienceas our lack of a of thiscentral neglect species data base ... ofhowmany computerised central, is system have been recorded'.Such an information on collaboration requires neededand clearly urgently to fundsuch scale. But,who is likely an international It is unlikely to appeal eitherto those an exercise? mission as supporting research councilswho see their with scienceor to aid agenciesconcerned innovative Yet it would supportboth objectives development. nations to developedand developing and be ofbenefit alike. However, this is not simplya task of comspeciesnames of published pilationsincethenumber greatlyexceeds the numberof biologicallydistinct thesedifferReconciling speciesto whichtheyrefer. issue, the real ences is not merelya nomenclatural speciesacrosswide areas lies in recognising difficulty of geographical distribution. The case studiespresented by Lasserreon marine Medina & Huber on savannahs and biodiversity, are,in myview,amongst Urban et al. on lifehistories and informative partsofthebook. themostenduring is poor. There The quality of many of the figures errors. The Editors are also annoying typographical explainthatthisrevisededitionwas needed because of IUBS and in theDiversitas of interest programme in university eduto meettheneedsof thoseinvolved It does biodiversity. cation and training concerning is clearly theseneedsbutthere scope for satisfy partly a fresh workthatwould bringthe issuesup to date and describethe latestresponsesto the biodiversity
crisis.

S. BLACKMORE

ofEcological A History Nature'sEconomy: Ideas, 2nd edn

D. Worster (1994)

Press, University Pp. xiii+ 505. Cambridge (hardback)0-521ISBN 0-521-45273-2 Cambridge, 46834-5(paperback).Price?40 (hardback)?13.95 (paperback). by Sierra editionof thisbook was published The first Club Books in 1977. The prefaceto the paperback spentin a Coneditionof 1985 recallshow a winter hisan intellectual wood impelledWorster, necticut for to exploreevenmorecloselyhow science, torian, thinking, all its devotionto reason and culture-free imaginative freeof othercreative, was neverentirely to ecologycontinued As a science, humaninfluences. draw its key ideas from the wider human preoccupationwithtimeand place. between scienceand oftheinterface As a case study thefive in turn, examines, Nature'sEconomy culture, of American most formative episodesin the history ecology.Part One focuseson theeighteenth-century

This content downloaded from 128.112.70.57 on Wed, 4 Dec 2013 07:09:06 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

557 Reviews

Whiteand Carl Linnaeus,and Part of Gilbert figures of exponent Two, on HenryDavid Thoreau,thechief RomanticEcology. Part Three appraisesthe contriof ecology butionof CharlesDarwin to thematuring as a science.PartFour coverswhatRobertMcIntosh ecology'. This Part mightbe called 'self-conscious read in conjunctionwith Tobey's volume of 1981, Saving the Prairies: the Life Cycle of the Founding as well PlantEcology,1895-1955, SchoolofAmerican on theDust Bowl disaster own writings as Worster's of the 1930s.The FifthPart tracesboth theevolving characand whatWorster conceptof theecosystem, approach. As well as terisesas the rival 'organicist' as one model of the'paradigmshifts', themagnitude the emphasises Worster of Nature replacedanother, It is onlyby of whatecologistsretained. importance to which'modern'ecologyis 'a theextent recognising ofall itspasts',thatwe shallbe aware conglomeration of naperception of 'the roots of our contemporary ture'. ofpublishing paperback subsequent One advantage the back cover provides editionsis the opportunity the praise earlier reviewershave for highlighting guide'.We learnthat worthwhile heapedon this'very withcheckFrank Golley's reviewcopy was littered So too underlined passages and exclamation. marks, strong is mine!It is perhapsthe'warm,intellectually and eloquent' stylethat provokes such scribbling. of the sojournin the effect Worster does not regret woods on his career.As he wrotein theConnecticut that his 1985preface, 'theidea thatnatureis orderly, and thatit is forthe itsorderis rationaland effective, is themost order, mostparta stable,self-equilibrating preciousidea modernsciencehas givenus'. Only ten ofthatpreface thewriting yearshaveelapsedbetween now describes and a new one forwhatthepublisher as the Second Edition,but it has been long enough for Worster'sbold assertionto become so embarbecomesever rassingas to the dropped.As Worster to more emphaticin his evangelicalcommitment of Naand theorderly disposition environmentalism rationalefor his ture's economy,so the 'scientific' brandof 'human'ecologyseemsto ebb away. The previousEpilogue,the 'Age of Ecology: Scito ence and theFate of theEarth' has been extended become the SixthPart of the Second Edition. With it recounts of hindsight, benefit thevery considerable World War, became how ecology,since the Second but as a movement as well sophisticated 'a political of the threat science'. Under diverse extraordinarily called a moral consciousness bomb new the atomic took root,whose purposewas to environmentalism of use the insights ecology to restrainthe use of As Nature's modern science-based powerovernature. so ecology to was breaking point, pushed economy revolution. cryfora cultural becametherallying beingcalled theparadoxofecologists For Worster, the ills brought about by scienceas a upon to fight as those'newphysicians' whole,is made evensharper

in in ecologyand interest lost both theirconfidence From an endeavour its linkswithenvironmentalism. orderliness, ecologybecameobsessedwith to measure to be The naturalworldwas perceived disturbance. As Worster ruled by chance, ratherthan necessity. strivesto explain, so marked a change in attitude evidence,but came about, not fromnew scientific Similarideas about stoshift. from a deepercultural are to be foundin all the and instability chaticism in all as practised as wellas thehumanities, sciences, societies. advancedtechnological The last section of the book, 'the disorder of a paper alreadypublished closelyresembles history', History.It provides in the journal, Environmental required ofa and turns intothetwists insight firsthand whoseprescriptions historian, 'intellectual' self-styled have levelofhumanbehaviour fora moreresponsible he had of the'scientific' underpinning been deprived be lost.Worster might giventhem.Not all, however, writesof how chaos is givingway to anotherset of and fashionableideas, namelythose of complexity However forunderlying commonalities. theevidence much some ecologists mightwish to disassociate reform and its hosfromenvironmental themselves of biothe conservation tilitytowardstechnology, has attracted Here,for greatinterest. logicaldiversity are encouraging signsthat ecologistshave Worster, For all not lost all sense of balance and perspective. thought ways,Natureis still itsstrange and disturbing and help. thescientist's to require love,respect
J. SHEAIL

SHORT REVIEWS
A Natural (1992) UplandBritain: M. Atherden Press, University Pp. xv+ 224. Manchester History. ISBN 0(in associationwithPlantlife). Manchester Pricenot given(paperback). 7190-3494-9. of W.H. Peasall (1950), Followingin the traditions an account of the has produced MargaretAtherden mounhistory of British and environmental ecology naturalist aimed at the general moorlands tainsand in a information who seeks accurateand up-to-date in providing well has succeeded form. She readable in an accessibleform,the a wealth of information quotationsadding attracand literary photographs She text. and informative to a well-researched tiveness much of the ethos of the old New has resuscitated Naturalists series, which is most commendable. soils and less detailconcerning Althoughcontaining successorto this should prove a worthy vegetation, Peasall's masterpiece.

Reference
and Moorlands. Pearsall,W.H. (1950) Mountains London. CollinsNew Naturalist,

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