ECKELBARGER, K.; University of Maine: The Dawn of Invertebrate Zoology in America: A Tribute to the Pioneers

In the early 19th century, America had virtually no invertebrate zoologists as we know them today, but there were men and women studying invertebrates who described themselves as “naturalists” or “natural philosophers”. Interest in invertebrates was overshadowed by greater attention toward botany, geology, and paleontology, although entomology and conchology were also popular. This presentation will trace the rapid rise of the broader field of invertebrate zoology: from the policies of Thomas Jefferson, who encouraged exploration and discovery; through the great upsurge of activity stimulated by Harvard’s Louis Agassiz in mid-century; to the eventual proliferation of journals, textbooks, museums, marine labs, university departments, and professional societies that focused on invertebrate biology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The field-based teaching of philosophy of Louis Agassiz and other invertebrate pioneers (“Study Nature, not books”) is still alive today in many American universities, although increasing specialization has left few invertebrate zoologists who resemble the naturalists of the 19th century. Many of our predecessors spent considerable time collecting and studying living animals in the field and were equally skilled in vertebrate and invertebrate biology (including insects), as well as in botany, geology, and paleontology. As we enter a new century, reflecting on our past may give us the perspective to evaluate progress in our field and to set a vibrant future course.