CLEMSON, S.C. — Ecology and evolution are often taught separately, but scientists say the two are closely connected, making it difficult to fully understand one without the other.
“Everything an organism does is influenced by its evolutionary history and its ecological relationships,” said Michael Caterino, the John and Suzanne Morse Chair of Arthropod Biodiversity in the Clemson University plant and environmental sciences department. “Those two really tie everything else in biology together.”
That idea is central to a new initiative at Clemson aimed at bringing researchers together across disciplines to study how life changes and persists in a rapidly shifting world.
The ecology and evolution initiative, led by faculty from multiple departments and colleges, seeks to connect scientists who have historically worked in separate spaces despite overlapping interests.
“Theodosius Dobzhansky famously said that ‘nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution’ and this statement is still largely true,” said Robert Anholt, Provost’s Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Biochemistry and the director of faculty excellence initiatives in the College of Science.
Addressing challenges
Ecologists and evolutionary biologists are at the forefront of addressing global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and habitat fragmentation. These issues require scientists to understand not only how organisms interact with their environments, but also how they adapt over time.
“Ecological interactions and environmental change drive evolutionary processes,” Anholt said. “And evolution, in turn, determines how species respond to those changes.”
Despite that natural overlap, ecology and evolution-focused faculty at Clemson are spread across departments and colleges, including biological sciences, genetics and biochemistry, and forest and environmental conservation. That can make collaboration more difficult.
“We actually have a critical mass of very good people working in these areas, but they’ve never really been brought together comprehensively,” Anholt said.
The effort began last fall, and Anholt said he hopes it eventually grows into a formal interdisciplinary center focused on ecology and evolution.
Potential collaborations
The initiative aims to create regular opportunities for interaction, starting with a symposium on March 27. The event will feature presentations from participating researchers, student poster sessions and time for discussion. The symposium is a community-building event providing an opportunity for faculty and students to learn about each other’s work and lay the groundwork for potential collaborations.
“This first symposium is really about getting to know each other,” Anholt said.
The push for collaboration reflects a broader shift in science. Increasingly, researchers say, the most impactful discoveries come from interdisciplinary work rather than isolated efforts.
“When you bring different groups together, you get something more powerful than if people stay in a single lane,” said Rick Blob, Alumni Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences.
Collaboration can also open doors to new funding opportunities, particularly for large-scale grants that require teams with diverse expertise.
Ideas start to flow
“There’s something very powerful about putting people in the same room,” Blob said. “That’s when ideas start to flow.”
Students are expected to benefit from the initiative as well. By engaging with a broader network of faculty and peers, they can gain exposure to different research approaches, opportunities and career paths.
“Being exposed to different perspectives helps students think more broadly about their projects and why they matter in the real world,” Caterino said.
In applied fields such as conservation and environmental science, that expanded perspective can help students connect their work to real-world challenges, from managing invasive species to protecting endangered ecosystems.
New opportunities
The initiative could also lead to new interdisciplinary courses and collaborative research opportunities, giving students hands-on experience spanning multiple areas of expertise. Networking is another key advantage. Many academic and professional opportunities such as graduate programs and postdoctoral positions are often shared informally.
Looking ahead, organizers plan to build on the symposium with a distinguished speaker series and expanded outreach efforts, including a dedicated website.
“This is modern science,” Blob said. “It’s about crossing boundaries and bringing people together to solve complex problems.”
–Cindy Landrum, Clemson University