Remembering the botanist who redefined how plants and insects evolve together
Losos JB, Johnson GB, Schaal BA.
Plant Signaling
The idea that butterflies and the plants they eat shaped each other over millions of years, an idea now central to how ecologists explain garden pest resistance and pollinator relationships, traces back to work Raven pioneered decades ago.
Peter Raven spent his career figuring out how plants and the insects that eat them evolved together, work that changed how scientists explain why certain butterflies only lay eggs on certain plants. He also spent decades running the Missouri Botanical Garden, turning it into a major center for plant science and conservation, and he pushed hard to get more people worldwide trained and involved in protecting plant diversity.
Key Findings
Raven's coevolution research established a foundational framework for understanding plant-insect relationships in ecology and evolutionary biology
He led the Missouri Botanical Garden while also holding leadership roles at the National Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society
His mentorship and institution-building work expanded scientific opportunities for emerging plant science scholars globally
chevron_right Technical Summary
Peter H. Raven, a giant of modern botany who reshaped how scientists understand plant evolution and championed global biodiversity conservation, has died. His research on coevolution and plant-insect relationships and his decades leading the Missouri Botanical Garden influenced how we think about protecting the natural world.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Peter H. Raven: Botanist, evolutionary biologist, and biodiversity champion.
Peter H. Raven was a transformative leader whose influence extended far beyond his own research. From a precocious childhood passion for natural history to landmark contributions to coevolution, ec...
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