3 The New York Years (1931–1953)

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232 5 Biological Species and Speciation—Mayr’s First Synthesis [of geographical isolation as a causal factor of speciation] than were their Russian colleagues” (p. 38). “In my opinion, the essence of the biological species concept was clearly formulated in the theoretical papers of leading Russian entomologists in the prerevolutionary decades.” However, they were not the first to develop the BSC, nor were E.B. Poulton or K. Jordan whose work Mayr (l.c.) discussed in detail. Building on the work of Stresemann, Rensch, Dobzhansky, and several earlier authors mentioned above, Mayr (1942e, 1963b, 1970e) combined systematic, genetic and ecological aspects, analyzed the speciation process and thus established the theoretical BSC in all its ramifications. Through his contributions, the BSC became one of the central tenets of the modern synthetic theory of evolution. Although he was not the originator of the BSC, he demonstrated its validity more convincingly than anyone else before and proposed a superior and concise definition which has been widely adopted. Community Architect During the 1940s Ernst Mayr became increasingly active in founding specialty groups beyond ornithology (where he had initiated intellectual changes first in the Linnaean Society of New York and then in the American Ornithologists’ Union; see pp. 109 and 122–124), as an aggressive reformer and administrator in committees and societies, and active in modernization of research infrastructure. Whereas some of his colleagues like Simpson and Dobzhansky were willing to be presidents of societies but avoided administrative burden, Mayr saw himself repeatedly at the center of such enterprises. He became an organizer first within the “Committee of Common Problems of Genetics, Paleontology, and Systematics,” later within the Society for the Study of Evolution, the Society of Systematic Zoology and again in the American Ornithologists’ Union. He strove to produce formal networks of communication, i.e., professional journals and approved programs at scientific meetings, for he wanted more than merely exchanging information. His interests were synthetic and constructive; he aimed at theory-building and integration. Joe Cain (1994 ff.) studied the progress of the evolutionary synthesis during the 1930s and 1940s emphasizing professional and intellectual infrastructure, i.e., journals, societies, committees, workshops, meetings, communication networks, funding, etc. In conjunction with these analyses he has traced Ernst Mayr’s efforts to include systematics and the work of “museum men” into the evolutionary synthesis. He mentioned the short-lived Society for the Study of Speciation (1939– 1941) and Mayr’s attempts at improving its effectiveness (Cain 2000a). He also acknowledged Mayr’s leadership role in the “Committee of Common Problems of Genetics, Paleontology, and Systematics,” 1942–1949 (Cain 2002b) and finally discussed his 3-year term as founding editor of the new society’s journal Evolution, 1947–1949 (Cain 2000b). The following account is based on these detailed reports (see also Cain 2004 and Smocovitis 1994a,b).
Community Architect 233 The Society for the Study of Speciation, 1939–1941 During the meeting of the American Association of the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS) in Columbus, Ohio in late December 1939 (see p. 189) Th. Dobzhansky, J. Huxley, and A. Emerson founded the Society for the Study of Speciation (SSS), designed to simplify communication among widely scattered workers in this field (Cain 2000a). The objective was to create an informal information service or information network, not a journal-issuing society, focusing on the dynamics of theoriginofspecies.Emersonwasrecruitedassecretaryandprincipalagentforthe organization of the group and publication of a booklet about twice a year to present bibliographical citations and notes on original work from various members and laboratories as well as new ideas. The first and only bulletin (29 p.) was distributed to 374 individuals not before March 1941. Emerson could not spend enough (or any) time on this project. Moreover, he did not receive sufficient suitable material for future bulletins since members delayed work or shifted to other projects because of the United States’ entry into the war. Emerson put the SSS and the bulletin on hold until a later year. The objective of the SSS was close to the center of Ernst Mayr’s scientific interests. He was very eager to see it succeed and closely followed its development. However, he disliked the delay and the quality of the first bulletin, which finally arrivedwhenhehadjustconcludedhisJesuplectureson“Systematicsandthe origin of species.” Although not on the executive committee of the SSS but with Dobzhansky’s knowledge, Mayr took the initiative to replace A. Emerson as secretaryandapproachedinthisregardhisfriendA.G.Richards,anentomologistatthe University of Pennsylvania. Mayr also made several suggestions to Emerson himself how to improve the contents of future bulletins, e.g., different persons should follow speciation work regarding freshwater organisms, marine organisms, island birds, etc. and the bibliography on speciation should be combined with Biological Abstracts. Emerson replied that “your comments on our recent mimeographed material were about the best we received in the way of constructive comment,” but because of his limited time he was unable to be the active editor and secretary Mayr envisioned. Due to Emerson’s “lack of initiative” the SSS expired. The “Committee on Common Problems of Genetics, Paleontology, and Systematics,” 1942–1949 This Committee was founded upon a suggestion of Walter Bucher (1889–1965), Professor of Geology at Columbia University, New York, and chair of the National Research Council’s Division of Geology and Geography (serving 1940–1943). Eleven scientists, including G. G. Simpson, Dobzhansky and Mayr, met in the Zoology Department of Columbia University on 17 October 1942 to discuss future research in the borderland between genetics and paleontology. The final plan envisioned a Western Group of 10 scientists centered in Berkeley that would emphasize the cooperation between an equal number of geneticists and paleobotanists; and an
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Jürgen Haffer Ornithology, Evoluti
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Jürgen Haffer Ornithology, Evoluti
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Preface Ernst Mayr (1904-2005), emi
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Contents Introduction 1 Part I The
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Contents IX 2 Bibliography of Ernst
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2 Introduction and speciation, the
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4 Introduction (1928-1929) to repla
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Ernst Mayr has been an observer all
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The Family 9 court system. He had a
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The Family 11 Fig.1.1. Family genea
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The Family 13 where they learned La
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Birdwatching 15 even finishing befo
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Birdwatching 17 Fig.1.5. ErnstMayr
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Birdwatching 19 Fig.1.6. Ernst Mayr
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Birdwatching 21 he simply smoked ci
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University Student in Greifswald an
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Friendships at School and Universit
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2 The Budding Scientist PhD Thesis
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TheInfluenceofTeachers 37 excellent
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Erwin Stresemann—Teacher and Frie
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Erwin Stresemann—Teacher and Frie
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Assistant Curator at the Museum of
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Expeditions to New Guinea and the S
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Part II Ornithologist and Evolution
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4 Ornithologist and Zoogeographer B
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10 Systematics and Classification T
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322 10 Systematics and Classificati
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11 History and Philosophy of Biolog
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340 11 History and Philosophy of Bi
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376 12 Summary: Appreciation of Ern
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Acknowledgments Iamdeeplygratefulto
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List of Abbreviations AAAS American
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386 References Beehler BM, Pratt TK
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388 References Cracraft J (2002) Go
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390 References Haffer J (1997a) Ess
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392 References Keast JA (1996) Avia
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394 References Olson SL (1975) The
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396 References Smith JJ (1936) Eric
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398 References Wiglesworth LW (1898
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Appendix 1 Curriculum Vitae (includ
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Appendix 1 403 1978 Prêmio Jabuti,
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Appendix 1 405 Society Offices Linn
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Appendix 2 407 1926c Das Freibrüte
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Appendix 2 409 1932 1932a Birds col
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Appendix 2 411 1936g Melidectes bel
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Appendix 2 413 1941e Birds collecte
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Appendix 2 415 1944f Chromosomes an
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Appendix 2 417 1947g On the correct
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Appendix 2 419 1952e Six new subspe
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Appendix 2 421 1954g The tail molt
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Appendix 2 423 1958c Concluding rem
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Appendix 2 425 in E. Mayr, Evolutio
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Appendix 2 427 1964l Introduction [
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Appendix 2 429 1967d Subfamily Pach
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Appendix 2 431 in Acta Soc. Zool. B
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Appendix 2 433 1974b The diversity
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Appendix 2 435 1976m Evolution and
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Appendix 2 437 Mankind 13:430; P.W.
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Appendix 2 439 (1984) in Queen’s
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Appendix 2 441 1984c Evolution and
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Appendix 2 443 1987b The status of
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Appendix 2 445 1990 1990a The Myth
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Appendix 2 447 1992f Haldane’s Ca
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Appendix 2 449 1995g The search for
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Appendix 2 451 1999 1999a Thoughts
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List of Books by Ernst Mayr 453 200
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Coauthorship 455 Coauthorship In th
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Appendix 3 457 (4) Systematics 1942
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Index Achievements 379 Adaptation 2
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Index 461 Faunas 164-165 Family 8-1
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Index 463 Realism and education 372
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