Historians have debated the origins of ecology for decades. But there is no particular person or precise date or definite occurrence that marks the beginning of the science. Ecology gradually emerged as a distinct discipline during the latter part of the nineteenth century from a diverse array of different areas, including plant geography, plant physiology, taxonomy, and Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

Linnaeus and Humboldt

One of the most important individuals in the early development of an ecological view of nature was Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778). Linnaeus was the father of modern taxonomy, the science of identifying and naming species. His great goal was to describe and catalog all known organisms. In 1749 Linnaeus published a book called The Oeconomy of Nature. In this book Linnaeus presented his view that nature, while seemingly chaotic and unpredictable, actually existed in a balanced state of order...