Students of nature around the world revere Eugene Odum (1913-2002) as a founder and pioneer of ecosystem ecology. This holistic approach is perhaps best summarized by Odum’s oft-quoted statement that
the ecosystem is greater than the sum of its parts.
Odum’s textbook Fundamentals of Ecology is a classic, published in numerous editions and translations worldwide. Betty Jean Craige depicts the intellectual growth, creativity, and vision of the scientist who made the ecosystem concept central to his discipline and translated the principles of ecosystem ecology into lessons in preserving the natural environment.