The American Midland Naturalist: The Life History of a Journal

Abstract

The nature of natural history as represented in the American Midland Naturalist has changed during its eight decades of publication. Although subject matter became increasingly diverse, the emphasis shifted from taxonomic and distributional studies to ecology. Geographic coverage extended beyond the American midlands, generations of authors came and went and the titles and terminology illustrate the changing face of natural history. Changes in length of articles, sources of funding and questions addressed are evident.