Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Field Description

The program is intended to provide students with broad exposure to concepts and research approaches within ecology and evolution (primarily through seminars and formal course work), as well as in-depth study in one or more subdisciplines (normally guided by the student's Special Committee). The specific course of study is tailored to the needs of the individual student. Excellent laboratory and nearby field facilities are available, as are numerous collections and libraries. All students are required to obtain teaching experience by serving as teaching assistants for at least two semesters.

Inquiries from prospective graduate students are welcomed and should be addressed to the graduate field office or to any member of the faculty.

*The field does not usually admit students for a terminal M.S. degree.

Contact Information

Website: https://ecologyandevolution.cornell.edu/graduate
Email: pj17@cornell.edu
Phone: 607 254-4230

E235 Corson Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY  14853

Data and Statistics

Field Manual

Subject and Degrees

Ecology

Evolutionary Biology

Concentrations by Subject

Ecology

  • animal ecology
  • applied ecology
  • biogeochemistry
  • community and ecosystem ecology
  • limnology
  • oceanography
  • physiological ecology
  • plant ecology
  • population ecology
  • theoretical ecology
  • vertebrate zoology

Evolutionary Biology

  • ecological genetics
  • paleobiology
  • population biology
  • systematics

Faculty

Anurag Agrawal

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: community and ecosystem ecology; plant ecology; population ecology; Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology
  • Research Interests: plant-animal interactions, evolutionary and community ecology of plant-insect interactions

Charles F Aquadro

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology; systematics
  • Research Interests: population genetics

Leslie S Babonis

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; systematics; Ecology: physiological ecology; vertebrate zoology
  • Research Interests: EvoDevo, genomics, novelty, marine invertebrates

William E. Bemis

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: paleobiology; systematics; Ecology: vertebrate zoology
  • Research Interests: evolutionary biology of fossil and living fishes

Andrew G Clark

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology; Ecology: theoretical ecology
  • Research Interests: molecular population genetics; theoretical and statistical population genetics; evolutionary genomics; genetics of complex traits

Evan G Cooch

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; applied ecology; community and ecosystem ecology; population ecology; theoretical ecology; Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology
  • Research Interests: response of populations and ecological communities to environmental change, and the evolutionary and ecological consequences of these responses; development and application of novel and robust analytical and modeling techniques

Bryan Nicholas Danforth

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; Evolutionary Biology: paleobiology; systematics
  • Research Interests: phylogeny; systematics; evolutionary biology; insects; bee biology

Charles G. Danko

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology
  • Research Interests: evolutionary and comparative genomics, gene regulation, transcription, bioinformatics, functional genomics

Andre Alfons Dhondt

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; population ecology; Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology
  • Research Interests: animal population biology; ornithology; behavioral ecology; disease ecology

Casey Brandon Dillman

  • Campus: Ithaca - (Minor Member)
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; systematics; Ecology: vertebrate zoology
  • Research Interests: systematics, ichthyology, evolution, biogeography, natural history

Jeffrey J Doyle

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: systematics
  • Research Interests: plant systematics; polyploidy; comparative genomics

Laurie E. Drinkwater

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: applied ecology; biogeochemistry; community and ecosystem ecology
  • Research Interests: agroecosystem biogeochemistry; plant-microbial interactions; agroecology; Global N cycle

Stephen Paul Ellner

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: applied ecology; theoretical ecology; Evolutionary Biology: population biology
  • Research Interests: theoretical population biology and evolutionary ecology; ecological modeling

Timothy James Fahey

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: biogeochemistry; community and ecosystem ecology
  • Research Interests: dynamics of forest ecosystems

John W Fitzpatrick

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; applied ecology; population ecology; vertebrate zoology
  • Research Interests: animal and applied ecology; vertebrate zoology; systematics

Alexander S Flecker

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; community and ecosystem ecology; limnology
  • Research Interests: animal ecology; community and ecosystem ecology; limnology

Christine L Goodale

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: biogeochemistry; community and ecosystem ecology
  • Research Interests: forest biogeochemistry; land-use change; carbon and nitrogen cycling at various scales

Swanne Pamela Gordon

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; population ecology
  • Research Interests: Polymorphism, rapid evolution, behavioral ecology, sexual selection

Megan Ann Greischar

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: population biology; Ecology: population ecology; theoretical ecology
  • Research Interests: life history evolution, malaria, disease, transmission, epidemiology, population dynamics

Matthew P. Hare

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology
  • Research Interests: population genetics; phylogeography; invasion biology; host-parasite co-evolution

Andrew Hein

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; applied ecology; community and ecosystem ecology; oceanography; population ecology; theoretical ecology; Evolutionary Biology: population biology
  • Research Interests: Theoretical biology, computational ecology, ethology and collective behavior, mathematical modeling, machine learning and inferential methods in biology

Tory Hendry

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; applied ecology; Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; systematics
  • Research Interests: Bacterial genomics, evolution, host-microbe interactions, symbiosis, host-pathogen interactions

Ian Hewson

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: biogeochemistry; community and ecosystem ecology; oceanography
  • Research Interests: pelagic marine ecology; microbial and viral ecology; ecological genomics and community transcriptomics; ocean biogeochemistry

Meredith A. Holgerson

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; applied ecology; biogeochemistry; community and ecosystem ecology; limnology
  • Research Interests: freshwater ecology, ponds and lakes, food webs, community ecology, ecosystem ecology, greenhouse gases, conservation, amphibians

Benjamin Z. Houlton

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: applied ecology; biogeochemistry; community and ecosystem ecology
  • Research Interests: Global biogeochemical cycles: climate change; gene to biosphere relationships; coupled human-environmental systems; computational modeling; natural isotope abundance; data analytics and synthesis

Robert Warren Howarth

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: applied ecology; biogeochemistry; community and ecosystem ecology; limnology; oceanography
  • Research Interests: aquatic ecosystem biology, watershed science; and environmental management

Andre Kessler

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: applied ecology; community and ecosystem ecology; physiological ecology; plant ecology
  • Research Interests: molecular and chemical ecology; plant-insect interactions; multitrophic interactions; insect herbivore-induced plant responses to herbivory; mechanisms and ecological consequences

Brian Paul Lazzaro

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology
  • Research Interests: evolutionary genetic of post-pathogen interactions in insects

David M. Lodge

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; applied ecology; community and ecosystem ecology; limnology; plant ecology; vertebrate zoology; Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology
  • Research Interests: aquatic ecology, including freshwaters and marine coastal environments; ecology and evolution of invasive species; eDNA-based monitoring and surveillance of rare species; bioeconomics; science-management-policy

Andrés López Sepulcre

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; biogeochemistry; community and ecosystem ecology; limnology; population ecology; theoretical ecology; Evolutionary Biology: population biology
  • Research Interests: Eco-evolutionary dynamics, rapid evolution, life-history evolution, nutrient cycling, dispersal and invasion, ecological statistics

John E Losey

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; applied ecology; plant ecology; Evolutionary Biology: population biology
  • Research Interests: applied entomology; biocontrol; insect behavior; insect and ecology; integrated pest management

Irby J Lovette

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology; systematics; Ecology: vertebrate zoology
  • Research Interests: ecological genetics; population biology; systematics

Peter McIntyre

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; applied ecology; biogeochemistry; community and ecosystem ecology; limnology; physiological ecology; vertebrate zoology
  • Research Interests: freshwater conservation, freshwater landscape ecology, limnology, climate change, fish and fisheries, food webs, aquatic biogeochemistry, biodiversity

Philipp Messer

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology; Ecology: population ecology; theoretical ecology
  • Research Interests: Interested in a broad range of topics in evolutionary biology and population genetics. A particular focus of the lab lies in studying cases of rapid adaptation that allow us to observe evolution in real-time and sometimes even repeatedly.

Andrew Harris Moeller

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; applied ecology; biogeochemistry; community and ecosystem ecology; limnology; oceanography; physiological ecology; plant ecology; population ecology; theoretical ecology; vertebrate zoology; Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; paleobiology; population biology; systematics
  • Research Interests: evolutionary biology, genetics, microbiology, ecology

Corrie Saux Moreau

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology; systematics
  • Research Interests: Ecology and evolution of symbiosis; macroevolution; social insect evolution; host-microbe interactions; speciation and evolutionary diversification; evolution of gut microbiota; biogeography; phylogenetics/ phylogenomics; molecular clocks and divergence dating; biodiversity genomics; ant-plant mutualisms; entomology; comparative biology; microbiomes.

Courtney Cuinn Murdock

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; physiological ecology; population ecology
  • Research Interests: Disease ecology, life history, ecoimmunology, ecophysiology, host-parasite interactions, vector-borne disease transmission and control, urban ecology, climate change, land use change

Steven A. Osofsky

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; applied ecology; population ecology; Evolutionary Biology: population biology
  • Research Interests: wildlife health & conservation, one health, planetary health, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, rural development, science policy

Ian Owens

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; applied ecology; community and ecosystem ecology; population ecology; vertebrate zoology; Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology
  • Research Interests: Bird behavior, ecology, evolution and conservation; large-scale patterns in biodiversity; evolution in wild populations; public engagement with nature and science

Alison G Power

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: applied ecology; community and ecosystem ecology; population ecology
  • Research Interests: agricultural ecology; ecology of cropping systems and epidemiology of insect-vectored diseases

Robert A. Raguso

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; community and ecosystem ecology; physiological ecology; plant ecology
  • Research Interests: chemical ecology; plant reproductive ecology; the evolution of mutualism and deception; pollination ecology; evolution of communication

Robert D. Reed

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics
  • Research Interests: evolutionary developmental biology; functional genomics; gene regulation; adaptation; color pattern evolution

Jeremy B. Searle

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; systematics; Ecology: vertebrate zoology
  • Research Interests: evolutionary biology of small mammals, including studies of speciation, phylogeography and archaeogenetics

Kerry L. Shaw

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology; systematics
  • Research Interests: evolutionary biology; sexual selection; speciation; evolutionary genetics and genomics

Michelle K. Smith

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: applied ecology; population ecology; Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology
  • Research Interests: discipline-based science education research, biology education research

Jed P Sparks

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: biogeochemistry; community and ecosystem ecology; physiological ecology; plant ecology
  • Research Interests: biogeochemistry, community, and ecosystem ecology; physiological ecology; plant ecology

Chelsea Dvorak Specht

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; paleobiology; population biology; systematics; Ecology: physiological ecology; population ecology

Jennifer S. Thaler

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: applied ecology; population ecology
  • Research Interests: insect-plant interactions, chemical ecology, tritrophic interactions

Nina Overgaard Therkildsen

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: applied ecology; oceanography; population ecology; Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology
  • Research Interests: population and evolutionary genomics, rapid adaptation, fisheries, conservation

Maren N Vitousek

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: animal ecology; physiological ecology; population ecology; vertebrate zoology

Todd Walter

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: applied ecology; biogeochemistry
  • Research Interests: Ecohydrology, terrestrial biogeochemistry, environmental biophysics, pollutant fate-transport, water-climate change, modeling

Mariana Federica Wolfner

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Evolutionary Biology: ecological genetics; population biology
  • Research Interests: function and evolution of reproductive genes, with major focus on seminal proteins and egg-activation in insects

Xiangtao Xu

  • Campus: Ithaca
  • Concentrations: Ecology: biogeochemistry; community and ecosystem ecology; plant ecology; theoretical ecology
  • Research Interests: ecological modeling/forecasting, ecological remote sensing, plant functional ecology, global change biology, terrestrial ecosystem ecology