Profile of Robert E. Ricklefs

Abstract

In his recent Presidential Address to the American Society of Naturalists (1), ornithologist and ecologist Robert Ricklefs mentioned that for many biologists, the words “naturalist” and “natural history” evoke out-of-fashion 19th century pursuits—an era of preoccupation with nature before scientists could perform modern investigations of ecology and evolutionary biology. But Ricklefs, a Curators’ Professor of Biology at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, and recently elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, takes issue with that evocation, arguing that “natural history observation and thinking are essential to understanding the origin, maintenance, and significance of biodiversity.” Robert E. Ricklefs. During the month of that address, Ricklefs, Mark Ludlow, and three other ornithologists were traveling by ferry from the Caribbean island of Nevis to their research station in St. Kitts, when they spotted an anhinga flying over the nearby rocks. This cormorant-like bird had never been documented in Nevis before, so the chance observation raised the number of different bird species seen and recorded there to 200. The thrill of such moments has never left Ricklefs, who is now in the fifth decade of his professional career. Such enthusiasm and curiosity have shaped generations of students through his seminal textbooks Ecology (2) and The Economy of Nature (3). He has authored at least two other books, more than 80 articles, and ∼300 papers in peer-reviewed international journals. Through his work, Ricklefs has arguably affected popular culture, as well as scientific thought, inspiring many to consider humanity’s place in the ecosystem and the connectedness of all living things. Born in 1943, Ricklefs says he “always felt comfortable in nature.” When he was 9 years old, his family moved to the scenic Monterey Peninsula in California. His father, a lifelong educator, founded a private college preparatory school for boys. “Naturally, I attended,” Ricklefs …