MAYR,ERNST AS COMMUNITY ARCHITECT - LAUNCHING THE SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF EVOLUTION AND THE JOURNAL EVOLUTION

Ernst Mayr's contributions to 20th century biology extend far beyond h is defense of certain elements in evolutionary theory. At the center o f mid-century efforts in American evolutionary studies to build large research communities, Mayr spearheaded campaigns to create a Society f or the Study of Evolution and a dedicated journal, Evolution, in 1946. Begun to offset the prominence of Drosophila biology and evolutionary genetics, these campaigns changed course repeatedly, as impediments a ppeared, tactics shifted, and compromises built a growing coalition of support. Preserved, however, were designs to ''balance'' the communit y and journal with careful equation of status and explicit partitionin g of responsibilities within the working coalition. Choice terms such as ''cooperation'' and ''unity'' carried a strong political message. M ayr's editorship of Evolution provides a superb example of these ''bal ancing'' efforts. The mid-century infrastructural activities described herein also represented aggressive attempts to leverage control acros s several layers of community. Leaders of these campaigns sought: (I) to promote evolutionary studies as a modernized research discipline an d place it at the center of American biology, (2) to promote evolution ary studies within existing disciplines - e.g. systematics, genetics, and paleontology, (3) to foster certain research styles within evoluti onary studies, and (4) to emphasize certain solutions to prominent res earch questions. Throughout, Mayr interjected his priorities, tactics and energy.