The Silwood Circle: a history of ecology and the making of scientific careers in late twentieth-century Britain

Some ecological ideas that anticipated those of the Silwood Circle

From Linnaeus to Lotka and Volterra

Alfred Lotka and the source of his ideas

What should we make of this? A philosophical aside

Entomology and ecology at Imperial College, 1907-1965

Entomology at Imperial College prior to the acquisition of Silwood Park

The purchase of Silwood Park

Early work at Silwood

T.R.E. Southwood and the early years of the Silwood circle

Southwood's youth and his arrival at Silwood

Environmentalism : some cultural and political events of the 1960s and 1970s

The early years of the Silwood Circle

Southwood's later years at Silwood

Some important antecedents to the Silwood circle : ecology at Oxford and at some North American centres

Ecology at Oxford University : from the 1920s to the 1960s

Ecology in North America : G.E. Hutchinson and his students

Hard work and the making of reputations : Robert May and Richard Southwood, 1971-1979

Robert May and stability and complexity in model ecosystems (1973, 1974 and 2001)

T.R.E. Southwood, Robert May, and the Silwood circle

The reception of new mathematical modelling by the ecological community

T.R.E. Southwood in the wider world

The growth of careers, 1970-1995 : part one

Gordon Conway

Michael Crawley

Michael Hassell

Roy Anderson

Richard Southwood : public service and his move to Oxford

The growth of careers, 1970-1995 : part two

John Lawton

John Krebs

David Rogers

John Beddington

Coda

Voices in the larger world : responsibilities, awards and rewards

Interlude: My philosophical lens

Conclusion

Intellectual history : tradition and novelty

Institutional history and tradition

Biography and psychology

The Silwood circle and sociality

The socio-political and cultural context

Concluding comments

Appendix One: Verhulst, Volterra and Lotka

Appendix Two: C.S. Holling : functional response and resilience; Robert M. May : stability, complexity, and chaos

List of Acronyms.