The Praeger Review Compilation

Abstract

THE PRAEGER REVIEW COMPILATION Bruce Osborne It is difficult to overstate the impact Robert Lloyd Praeger made on the world of botany and natural history in Ireland between the 1880s and the 1950s. What is particularly remarkable is that Praeger achieved so much in those disciplines despite the fact he was,for many years,an amateur naturalist (he was a librarian by profession). It was only after retirement in the 1920s that he was able to devote his time fully to his former ‘extracurricular’ activities. Praeger, who was a prolific writer, made significant contributions not only to botany and natural history , but also to archaeology, geology, ecology and zoology.This ability to embrace different disciplines was coupled with remarkable organisational skills that enabled him to run countless field investigations throughout Ireland—often to out-of-the-way places—even though there was only a rudimentary road infrastructure at the time. At the same time, he also held several prestigious positions, including President of the Royal Irish Academy and President of the British Ecological Society. One of Praeger’s more significant contributions was a major study of Ireland’s flora, entitled ‘Irish Topographical Botany’, published as a special volume of Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy in 1901. He was the driving force behind the first Clare­ Island survey (1909–11), the results of which were published between 1911 and 1915. Praeger’s legacy lives on through the New Survey of Clare Island series, by far the largest multidisciplinary study of its kind, involving hundreds of researchers.The first volume of the NSCI was published in 1999 (8 volumes have been published by the Royal Irish Academy so far, and the final three volumes will be published in 2019). Praeger’s best-known work is probably The Way That I Went, a partly autobiographical account of his travels throughout Ireland studying the flora and fauna; this work was my first introduction to this giant of a man. In 2010 Biology and Environment published the first in its ongoing series of ‘Praeger Reviews ’—commissioned articles written by international experts that focus on topical subjects. This online supplement, which gathers together all Praeger Reviews published to date, reflects the breadth and scope of the journal. Geoff Gadd assesses the role of fungi in degrading inorganic material; Ian Woodward et al. discuss the impacts of climate change on Irish vegetation; John Raven examines the impact of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations on marine algae and Richard Bardget analyses the role of plant traits in relation to soil properties. I hope these— and future Praeger Review articles—will serve a fitting tribute to the memory of Robert Lloyd Praeger and lead to a renewed appreciation of his contribution to botany and natural history, in­ Ireland and elsewhere. Biology and Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, (2018). © Royal Irish Academy ...