Brian D. Inouye
Roles of spatial and temporal variation in population and community ecology; linking theoretical and
empirical approaches.
Don R. Levitan
Evolutionary ecology of marine
invertebrates; population biology.
Scott Steppan
Evolutionary biology and mammalian molecular and
morphological systematics.
Joseph Travis
Ecological and population genetics; population biology.
Nora Underwood Ecology and evolution of plant-insect interactions.
Alice A. Winn
Plant population ecology and evolution.
Janie L. Wulff
Roles of predators, physical disturbance, and competition in shaping sponge faunas.
Research in population biology and ecological genetics emphasizes population-level
characteristics of single species and reproduction and survival rates in those
populations. The work can be primarily ecological, evolutionary, or both. For example,
comparisons of populations of the least killifish include ecological (how numbers are
limited or regulated) and evolutionary (how genetic differences among populations are
maintained) components. By seeking environmental correlates of varying survival rates
among populations of endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers, another researcher hopes to
eventually be able to test alternative management practices.
Research in ecological genetics is more evolutionary. Examples include the study of the
evolution of phenotypic plasticity in leaf shapes, mechanisms of speciation and
hybridization in corals, and the role of natural selection and mutation in maintaining the
genetic variation found in populations of fruit flies. Various techniques (e.g.
phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences and morphological data, comparative analyses of
multivariate patterns of covariation) are also being use to clarify large-scale patterns
in biological diversity. These are just a few examples of the broad range of interests
among this group of biologists.
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