Frank Edwin Egler

Frank Edwin Egler (26 April, 1911 – 26 December, 1996) was an American plant ecologist and pioneer in the study of vegetation science.

Born in New York City, he studied forestry at the New York State College of Forestry and botany the University of Chicago, graduating in 1932. Egler went on to obtain his M.S. in plant ecology from the University of Minnesota, where he studied with William Skinner Cooper, in 1934, and his Ph.D. in plant ecology at Yale University, where his advisor was G. E. Nichols, in 1936.

Egler taught occasionally in colleges and universities, but devoted most of his career as an independent researcher and scholar. From 1951-1955, he was a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. He was named a Guggenheim Fellow in 1955. As a scientist, Egler was an associate of zoologist Rachel Carson. Portions of Carson’s Silent Spring were based upon what she learned from Egler about roadside pesticide spraying.

Egler was a prolific writer. His writings include theoretical contributions to the study of plant ecology to technical reports about herbicide use to educational pieces for general audiences.

Selected Works

Egler, F.E. Vegetation as an object of study. "Philosophy of Science". 1942; 9(3): 245-60.

Egler, F.E. Brush control – an aspect of ‘plant-community management’. "Electric Light and Power". 1951; 29(3): 98-99, 151.

Egler, F.E. Vegetation science concepts: I: Initial floristic composition, a factor in old-field vegetation development. "Vegetatio". 1954; 4:412-417.

Egler, F.E. “Pesticides – In Our Ecosystem,” "American Scientist", 1964; 52(1), 110-36.

Egler, F.E. "The Way of Science: A Philosophy of Ecology for the Layman". New York: Hafner Publishing Company, 1970.

Egler, F.E. "The plight of the rightofway domain: victim of vandalism" (with Stan R. Foote). Mt. Kisco, N.Y.: Futura Media Services, 1975.

References

http://www.wku.edu/~smithch/chronob/EGLE1911.htm

http://www.gf.org/efellow.html

"Rachel Carson: Witness for Nature", Linda Lear, Henry Holt, New York, 1997.