Working to understand ecological systems and evolutionary change
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
In our department we value science and education grounded in the natural history of organisms, and strive to understand the patterns and processes that structure communities and ecosystems, and drive evolutionary change over all geographical and time scales. As new methods provide insight into ecological and evolutionary mechanism and function, we seek to refine fundamental concepts, integrate findings into novel theory, and address environmental challenges. As a department we are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and belonging - values that underlie all we do.
Bryce teaching the locals about hawks; the bird was handled carefully with appropriate permits, then released unharmed, back into the wild.
Research Spotlight
EEB grad student Bryce Robinson travels across much of the lower 48 states to study Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) in an attempt to gather extensive range-wide samples and uncover the evolutionary history of this highly diverse raptor. A common and widespread species, the Red-tailed Hawk represents an excellent opportunity to understand the evolution and maintenance of traits such as plumage polymorphism, both between and within populations. Bryce is a member of the team behind The Red-tailed Hawk Project, a research collaboration focused on the ecology and evolution ofthese birds.
Department of Energy funds Cornell-led project headed by EEB's Frank H.T. Rhodes Professor of Environmental Science, Christy Goodale: understanding the role the nitrogen cycle and its seasonal variations play in estimates of future carbon uptake by the biosphere. Studies will be conducted Hubbard Br...
EEB prof and CALS Dean, Ben Houlton leads new study: state-of-the-art agricultural technology and management can not only reduce that growth, but eliminate it altogether by generating net negative emissions – reducing more greenhouse gas than food systems add. In fact, employing additional agricultu...
Senior author and EEB assistant prof Meredith Holgerson reports: Pond emission measurements improve climate predictions. This new study measures methane and carbon dioxide emissions from 30 small lakes and ponds (one acre or less) in temperate areas of Europe and North America, revealing that the sm...
New study published by EEB's Moeller Lab finds that hundreds of bacterial groups have evolved in the guts of primate species over millions of years, but humans have lost close to half of these symbiotic bacteria. Strikingly, the results showed that these ancestral symbionts are being lost rapidly fr...
Ethan Duvall is a doctoral candidate in ecology and evolutionary biology from North Bend, Washington state. He attended Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, and now studies how wildlife populations respond to human impacts on ecosystems under the guidance of Alex Flecker at Corne...
The Clark Lab project: "Developing an endangered equid as an integrative model for understanding species persistence and extinction," among projects awarded as part of the College of Arts and Sciences New Frontier Grant program. The projects span across the sciences, social sciences and humanities i...
On May 16, several Arts and Sciences affiliated graduate students were among those honored for leadership and commitment to diversity, inclusion, outreach, and student engagement.
This summer, 101 students in the College of Arts and Sciences will take part in groundbreaking research on campus with 61 faculty as part of the Nexus Scholars Program. For many of these students, this will be their first research opportunity and they’ll work on projects with faculty across the coll...