The Ecological Society of America (ESA) is a professional organization of
ecological scientists. Based in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and founded in 1915, ESA publications include peer-reviewed journals, newsletters, fact sheets, and teaching resources. It holds an annual meeting at different locations in the USA and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. In addition to its publications and annual meeting, ESA is engaged in public policy, science, education and diversity issues.
ESA's 9,000 members are researchers, educators, natural resource managers, and students in over 90 countries. Members work on a wide range of topics, from agroecology to marine diversity and explore the relationships between organisms and their past, present, and future environments. The Society has over 20 topical sections and seven regional chapters.
History
The first discussions on the formation of the Society took place in 1914 in the lobby of the Hotel Walton in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, at a meeting of animal and plant ecologists organized by
Henry Chandler Cowles
Henry Chandler Cowles (February 27, 1869 – September 12, 1939) was an American botanist and ecological pioneer (see History of ecology). A professor at the University of Chicago, he studied ecological succession in the Indiana Dunes of Northwes ...
. On December 28, 1915, in
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio
Columbus may also refer to:
Places ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, at the meeting of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...
, a group of about 50 people voted to form the Ecological Society of America, adopted a constitution, and set the next meeting. Dr.
Victor E. Shelford of the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
served as the first president.
The Society was founded to unify the science of ecology, stimulate research in all aspects of the discipline, encourage communication among ecologists, and promote the responsible application of ecological data and principles to the solution of environmental problems. The Society has grown to 10,000 members worldwide.
In the 1940s, the Society decided that it should focus on research and not pursue an activist or political focus on ecological preservation, leading Shelford to found what became
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US.
Founded in 1951, The Natu ...
.
Divisions
The Public Affairs Office works to engage in environmental and science policy, share ecological science with the media and the public, and to inform the ecological community about opportunities to participate in public policy or media interactions. ESA's Rapid Response Team experts play a key role in these activities, serving as a resource for ESA, policymakers, and the media.
The Science Programs Office promotes the continued development of ecological science and its integration into decision-making and education, linking the ecological research and management communities.
The Education and Diversity Programs Office works to increase diversity within ecology-related professions, to engage the public in a dialogue on ecological research and issues, and to improve the quality of ecology education at all levels.
ESA Journals – The Society publishes the scientific, peer-reviewed journals ''
Ecology
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
'', ''Ecological Monographs'', ''Ecological Applications'', ''
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
''Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal issued ten times per year, and consists of peer-reviewed, synthetic review articles on all aspects of ecology, the environment, and related disciplines, as well a ...
'', and most recently added, ''Ecosphere''.
Madhusudan Katti is the Executive Editor of the quarterly ''Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America.''
Among others, research featured in ESA's journals has included articles on
white-nose syndrome
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a fungal disease in North American bats which has resulted in the dramatic decrease of the bat population in the United States and Canada, reportedly killing millions as of 2018. The condition is named for a distincti ...
in
bats
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...
,
marine protected areas
Marine protected areas (MPA) are protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a conserv ...
,
migration systems of New World birds, the indirect ecological effects between
parasitoid wasps
Parasitoid wasps are a large group of hymenopteran superfamilies, with all but the wood wasps (Orussoidea) being in the wasp-waisted Apocrita. As parasitoids, they lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods, sooner or later causi ...
and
rhizobacteria
Rhizobacteria are root-associated bacteria that can have a detrimental (parasitic varieties), neutral or beneficial effect on plant growth. The name comes from the Greek ''rhiza'', meaning root. The term usually refers to bacteria that form symbio ...
, and the
range
Range may refer to:
Geography
* Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra)
** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands
* Range, a term used to i ...
expansion of
cougars
The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. I ...
.
Online communications
Blog
EcoTone is a blog produced by the Ecological Society of America. The blog showcases ecology and ecologists, focusing on ecological science in the news and its use in policy and education. EcoTone welcomes guest submissions and suggestions of timely, relevant news of importance to the broad ecological community.
Podcasts
''Beyond the Frontier'' - features interviews with the authors of selected articles appearing in recent print issues of the ESA journal ''Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment''. Beyond the Frontier also aspires to make the subject matter accessible and interesting to listeners from a variety of scientific disciplines, and to non-specialists as well. Listeners are encouraged to continue the discussion online, using the “add comment” functionality underneath each podcast to post their own thoughts and ideas.
''The Ecologist Goes to Washington'' - features the stories and reflections of scientists who have engaged their local, state, or federal governments in addressing the broader implications of their research.
''Field Talk'' - features the field experiences of ecologists including interviews exploring the work of those who have published in the Society's journals.
Membership
Membership of this Society consists of persons and institutions interested in ecology and in the promotion of ecological research. The following classes of members are recognized: Regular members, Student members, Life members, Emeritus members, and Institutional members.
Officers and elections
The officers are the President, the Vice President for Science, the Vice President for Public Affairs, the Vice President for Finance, the Vice President for Education and Human Resources, and the Secretary.
The President serves consecutive one-year terms as President-elect, President, and Past President. A member may hold the office of President for only one term, in addition to such time as may be served filling the office following the death or resignation of a President.
The Vice Presidents and the Secretary serve three-year terms and are eligible for reelection for up to one additional term. The terms of the Vice Presidents and the Secretary shall be overlapping so that no more than two of these officers shall normally be elected in any given year.
The officers and other positions filled by Society elections are selected by electronic ballot. The official terms of the officers commence with the close of the Annual Meeting and continue until their successors assume office. Only Regular, Student, and Life members are eligible to hold office in the Society. No employee or member of the immediate family of an employee of the Society may be nominated for or hold elected office within the Society.
Governing Board
The Governing Board consists of the President, the President-elect, the Past President, the four Vice Presidents, the Secretary, and three Members-at-Large.
The three Members-at-Large are elected by the voting membership for two-year terms, with generally no more than two being elected in any one year.
The President chairs the Governing Board and the Council and presides at their meetings. In the President's absence, the President-elect presides; if the President-elect is also not present, the Past President presides, and if the Past President is also not present, the Governing Board shall elect a Chair from among those members of the Governing Board who are present.
See also
*
Conservation biology
Conservation biology is the study of the conservation of nature and of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions. It is an int ...
*
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental, and social movement that seeks to manage and protect natural resources, including animal, fungus, and plant species as well as their habitat for the f ...
*
Ecology
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
*
Ecology movement
The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists advoc ...
*
Environmental movement
The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists a ...
*
Environmental protection
Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...
*
Scientific societies
A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and science. Membership may ...
References
External links
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{{authority control
Professional associations based in the United States
Biology societies
Ecology organizations
Scientific societies based in the United States
Organizations established in 1915