The field of ‘integrative biology’ utilizes multidisciplinary approaches to establish a more complete and, therefore, insightful interpretation of an organism's biology. Certainly there is nothing unprecedented about integrative strategies in seeking to understand the natural world. In fact, the major structuring of Western science 2500 years ago by Aristotle and others involved those simultaneously interested in a wide range of topics from gross anatomy, physiology, chemistry, classification of organisms, astronomy, philosophy, and earth sciences. Even as late as the 18th and 19th centuries, integrative biology was alive and well and most investigators saw little need for establishing hard boundaries between subdisciplines. For example, Darwin was a master of integrative biology who, in forming his dynamic view of life, embraced studies in embryology, paleontology, functional morphology, animal husbandry, heredity, biogeography, ecology, earth sciences, and even physics. The 20th century witnessed the establishment of strong subdisciplinary boundaries that effectively compartmentalized biology into numerous factions whose investigators rarely collaborated. Despite this divisive trend, some biologists continued to seek interdisciplinary connections. The ‘Grand Synthesis’ was ushered in by Fisher (1930) and others who sought to bridge the artificial schism between genetics and evolutionary theory. Evolution and genetics were united into the field of population genetics which allowed unprecedented insights into microevolutionary change.