The Center for Biodiversity was formed in 1989 with the merger of the Section of Botany and Plant Pathology and the Section of Faunistic Surveys and Insect Identification. The Section of Botany and Plant Pathology dates to 1921, and focused throughout its history on surveys of the Illinois flora and studies on plant pathology, particularly fungal diseases of fruit trees and row crops. The emphasis on plant pathology began waning in the 1980s and no longer is part of the Center's mission. The Section of Faunistic Surveys and Insect Identification was founded in 1935. Initially it focused on surveys of Illinois insects, but within about 10 years of its founding began surveying other animals, too. The merger of the two sections brought together ecologists and systematists working to document the state's flora and fauna and understand their evolution and ecology within a global context.