Ernst Haeckel, ancient forests, and the Anthropocene. 2020

Ulrich Kutschera, and Steve Farmer
The Systems Biology Group, Inc., Palo Alto, CA, USA.

In this Addendum to an article in  Nature commemorating the 100th anniversary of Ernst Haeckel's death (9 August 1919), we recall the largely forgotten fact that Haeckel (1868) was an early proponent of the concept of an "Anthropozoic Age", a 19th-century anticipation of the "Anthropocene". Haeckel in particular highlighted man's extensive remodeling of the planet in ancient forests. Earlier influences on Haeckel included Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) and dozens of similar writers in the 19th century Romantic era, including the Italian geologist and priest Antonio Stoppani (1824-1891), and the American diplomat and environmentalist George P. Marsh (1801-1882). Starting in the 1840s, Marsh described in extraordinary detail the destructive influence of mankind on natural ecosystems, again with particular emphasis on the destruction of forests. Marsh, like Haeckel after him, was a pioneer in describing the far-reaching human re-modeling of the planet that they and their colleagues presciently labeled the "Anthropozoic Age".

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D017753 Ecosystem A functional system which includes the organisms of a natural community together with their environment. (McGraw Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Ecosystems,Biome,Ecologic System,Ecologic Systems,Ecological System,Habitat,Niche, Ecological,System, Ecological,Systems, Ecological,Biomes,Ecological Niche,Ecological Systems,Habitats,System, Ecologic,Systems, Ecologic
D049672 History, 19th Century Time period from 1801 through 1900 of the common era. 19th Century History,19th Cent. History (Medicine),19th Cent. History of Medicine,19th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 19th Century,History of Medicine, 19th Cent.,History, Nineteenth Century,Medical History, 19th Cent.,Medicine, 19th Cent.,19th Cent. Histories (Medicine),19th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 19th (Medicine),Cent. History, 19th (Medicine),Century Histories, 19th,Century Histories, Nineteenth,Century History, 19th,Century History, Nineteenth,Histories, 19th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 19th Century,Histories, Nineteenth Century,History, 19th Cent. (Medicine),Nineteenth Century Histories,Nineteenth Century History
D049673 History, 20th Century Time period from 1901 through 2000 of the common era. 20th Century History,20th Cent. History (Medicine),20th Cent. History of Medicine,20th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 20th Century,History of Medicine, 20th Cent.,History, Twentieth Century,Medical History, 20th Cent.,Medicine, 20th Cent.,20th Cent. Histories (Medicine),20th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 20th (Medicine),Cent. History, 20th (Medicine),Century Histories, 20th,Century Histories, Twentieth,Century History, 20th,Century History, Twentieth,Histories, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 20th Century,Histories, Twentieth Century,History, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Twentieth Century Histories,Twentieth Century History
D065928 Forests An ecosystem dominated by trees and other woody vegetation. Forested Areas,Forestlands,Woodland,Area, Forested,Areas, Forested,Forest,Forested Area,Forestland,Woodlands

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