This focal area represents the School’s collective scientific endeavor to understand both the interactions of living organisms with each other and the physical and chemical components of their surrounding environment, and the cause of changes in global patterns in species distribution and abundance. Meeting these challenges requires the integration of chemistry and biology, biophysics, physiology, genetics, behavior and evolution, mathematical modeling as well as sociology, anthropology, and policy. The goals of this area are to develop and make accessible the body of natural, social, and political scientific knowledge needed to improve our understanding of the complex interrelationships between humans and the rich diversity of organisms living in ecosystems, and to provide students with a comprehensive set of courses that will enable them to develop an integrated understanding of these issues.

Faculty in this focal area teach on a variety of subjects, including conservation biology; aquatic ecology; methods of ecosystem analysis; forest ecosystem health; human dimensions in the conservation of biological diversity; and management plans for protected areas. Undergraduate courses are also offered, including the study of ecology and environmental problem solving and the study of the local flora.

Faculty David K. Skelly (Coordinator), Mark S. Ashton, Graeme P. Berlyn, Mark A. Bradford, Ann E. Camp, Susan G. Clark, Lisa M. Curran, Gordon T. Geballe, Timothy G. Gregoire, John Grim, Stephen R. Kellert, Xuhui Lee, Peter A. Raymond, James E. Saiers, Oswald J. Schmitz, Thomas G. Siccama

Courtesy joint appointments Adalgisa (Gisella) Caccone, Michael Donoghue, Jeffrey Powell, Richard Prum