"Students of nature around the world revere Eugene Pleasants Odum as a founder and pioneer of ecosystem ecology. In this biography of Odum, 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. ". "Placing Odum's achievements in historical context, Craige portrays his life and career with meticulous attention to detail and with the intimacy of knowledge acquired through conversations with Odum himself. This book traces Odum's life from his childhood through his years of education, his collaboration with his younger brother Howard Thomas Odum in developing methods to study ecosystems, his contributions to the field of radiation ecology, his emergence as an internationally distinguished educator of ecosystem ecology, and his environmental activism. "--BOOK JACKET.