ABSTRACT
We are compelled to describe and interpret the diversity of life by observing it firsthand, directly in the field where the plants and animals live, interact, reproduce, and eventually become extinct. That endeavor is the historical foundation of natural history—a source of uniquely precious information that has no expiration date. Natural history is more than an assemblage of specimens and facts. Properly arranged, it raises intriguing questions and provides pathways for exploring them.
Natural history embodies three components, or pillars. Although they can be (and often are) studied independently of one another, a singular forcefulness is achieved when they behave synergistically. First, we ask what it is (a plant or animal) we are observing—Systematics: taxonomy, phylogenetics, and classification. Second, we want to know why it occurs, and where it does—Distribution: How did a species come to occupy its present range? Who are the species closest relatives and where are they found? Why are some pairs of closely related species found in adjacent areas, whereas other such pairs are widely separated? How does species diversity change when ascending a mountain, say, or moving inland from the coast?
Third we ask how it survives. Animals face an array of challenges, many of which can also affect a species’ distribution and where within its range the individuals have the best chances for success. Food and sex are at the top of that list of essentials, followed by predator avoidance.
