Ecology and Evolution
The Ecology and Evolution Concentration focuses on the fundamental patterns and processes of evolution and on the origins and maintenance of biological diversity, including its distribution, dynamics, and the consequences of biological diversity and species interactions for ecosystem functioning and services.
Our faculty members pursue research at all levels of biological organization, from organisms and populations to communities and ecosystems throughout life’s four billion year history. Research is conducted on extant and extinct life with a focus on plants, microbes, invertebrates, fish, dinosaurs, and mammals, among others; and in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments. Students may pursue a master's or doctoral degree conducting research in any of those areas of study.
Required Coursework
- AEC502, Introduction to Biology Research (Fall)
- PHI816, Research Ethics (or equivalent)
Concentration Chair
Dr. Alonso Ramirez
laramir2@ncsu.edu
Quantitative Requirement
Choose one of the following:
- ST511 or ST512 — Experimental Statistics in Biological Sciences I & II (Fall&Spring; Staff)
- AEC510 — Machine Learning Approaches in Biology (Fall odd years; Reading)
- ST505 — Applied Nonparametric Statistics (Spring; Lu)
- BMA567 — Modeling Biological Systems (Alternate years; Gross)
Ecology Required Coursework:
Choose one of the following:
- AEC503 — Foundations of Ecology (Spring; Irwin)
- AEC519 — Freshwater Ecology (Spring even years; Taylor)
- AEC/ENT509 — Ecology and Conservation of Freshwater Invertebrates (Spring odd years, Taylor)
- AEC761 — Conservation & Climate Science (Fall, even years; Terando)
- BIO/BMA560 — Population Ecology (Spring odd years; Gross)
- MEA750 — Marine Benthic Ecology (Fall and Spring; Eggleston)
- TBD — Paleoecology (Term Fall; Gates)
Evolution Required Coursework:
Choose one of the following:
- BIO570 — Evolutionary Ecology (Fall odd years; Langerhans)
- ENT591 — Principles of Biosystematics (Term TBA; Wiegmann)
- GN550 — Conservation Genetics (Spring even years; Burford Reiskind)
- GN703 — Population and Quantitiatve Genetics (Spring; Staff)
- GN713 — Quantitative Genetics and Breeding (Spring; Staff)
- GN740 — Evolutionary Genetics (Fall; Staff)
- GN757 — Quantitative Genetics Theory and Methods (Fall; Staff)
- PB503 — Systematic Botany (Spring; Staff)
- PB545 — Paleobotany (Spring; Staff)
- TBD — Human Paleontology (Term TBA; Ross)
- TBD — Evolutionary Transitions (Term TBA; Schweitzer)
- TBD — Molecular Paleontology (Term TBA; Schweitzer)
- TBD — Taphonomy (Term TBA; Schweitzer)
Advising Faculty:
| Name | Website |
Areas of Expertise
|
|
| Borski, Russell | rjb@ncsu.edu | http://borskilab.com/ |
Fish endocrinology and physiological, molecular, and cellular developmental biology
|
| Buckel, Jeffrey | jabuckel@ncsu.edu | https://cmast.ncsu.edu/buckel/ |
Marine and estuarine fisheries science
|
| Burford Reiskind, Martha | mbreiski@ncsu.edu | http://burfordreiskind.com/ |
Population and conservation genomics, Rapid evoloution in changing environments, Conservation
|
| Collazo, Jaime | jcollazo@ncsu.edu | https://cals.ncsu.edu/applied-ecology/people/jcollazo/ |
Population dynamics, Conservation biology
|
| Cope, Gregory | gcope@ncsu.edu | https://appliedecology.cals.ncsu.edu/faculty/w-gregory-cope/ |
Ecotoxicology, Contaminants and water quality; Conservation of native freshwater fish and mollusks; Invasive species
|
| Dunn, Robert | rrdunn@ncsu.edu | https://cals.ncsu.edu/applied-ecology/people/rob-dunn/ |
Hominins, Fermented food, Evolution, the Future
|
| Eaton, Mitchell | meaton@usgs.gov | https://globalchange.ncsu.edu/secsc/research/mitchell-eaton/ |
Species distribution modeling, Decision sciences, Quantitative ecology, Climate adaptation
|
| Eggleston, David | eggleston@ncsu.edu | https://cmast.ncsu.edu/eggleston/eggleston-lab/ |
Marine ecology and conservation
|
| Gates, Terry | tagates@nscu.edu | https://bio.sciences.ncsu.edu/people/tagates/ |
Dinosaur evolution and ecology, Sexual selection, Evolutionary theory, Fossil sharks
|
| Gross, Kevin | krgross@ncsu.edu | https://www4.stat.ncsu.edu/~gross/ |
Mathematical biology, Population ecology, Science of science
|
| Guerrero, Rafael | rfguerre@ncsu.edu | ||
| Hartsone-Rose, Adam | AdamHRose@ncsu.edu | HartstoneRoseLab.wordpress.ncsu.edu |
Functional morphology, Comparative anatomy, Informal STEM engagement
|
| Heil, Caiti | cheil@ncsu.edu | www.heillab.com |
Evolutionary genetics, Hybridization, Recombination
|
| Heise, Ryan | rjheise@ncsu.edu | N/A | Fish ecology |
| Hightower, Joseph | jhightower@ncsu.edu | https://cals.ncsu.edu/applied-ecology/people/jhncsu/ |
Fisheries science, Population modeling
|
| Hopkins, Skylar | skylar_hopkins@ncsu.edu | ||
| Irwin, Rebecca | reirwin@ncsu.edu | irwinlab.weebly.com/ |
Community & Evolutionary ecology, Pollination biology
|
| Kwak, Thomas | tkwak@ncsu.edu | https://cals.ncsu.edu/applied-ecology/people/tkwak/ |
Fish and river ecology and management, Conservation ecology, Production biology
|
| Langerhans, Brian | langerhans@ncsu.edu | http://gambusia.zo.ncsu.edu/ |
Evolutionary ecology, Speciation, Adaptation, Predictability of evolution, Trait change in the Anthropocene, Conservation
|
| McKenney, Erin | eamckenn@ncsu.edu | https://cals.ncsu.edu/applied-ecology/people/erin-mckenney/ |
Microbial ecology of guts and fermented foods
|
| McKerrow, Alexa | mckerrow@ncsu.edu | https://cals.ncsu.edu/applied-ecology/people/mckerrow/ | Spatial ecology |
| Pacifici, Krishna | jkpacifi@ncsu.edu | https://faculty.cnr.ncsu.edu/krishnapacifici/ |
Quantitative ecology
|
| Ramirez, Alonso | alonso.ramirez@ncsu.edu | https://www.ramirezlab.net/ |
Tropical stream ecology 2) Urban ecology 3) Community ecology
|
| Reading, Benjamin | bjreadin@ncsu.edu | https://www.facebook.com/stripedbassgenome |
Aquaculture, physiology, machine learning, genomics, fishes
|
| Schweitzer, Mary | mhschwei@ncsu.edu | https://molecularpaleo.wordpress.ncsu.edu/ | Paleobiology |
| Sheth, Seema | ssheth3@ncsu.edu | www.seemasheth.weebly.com |
Evolutionary ecology, Biogeography
|
| Shroeter, Elena | easchroe@ncsu.edu | ||
| Smith, Adrian | aasmith7@ncsu.edu | https://www.adrianalansmith.com/ |
Animal behavior, Communication
|
| Tarpy, David | drtarpy@ncsu.edu | ncsuapiculture.net |
Behavioral ecology, Social biology, Apiculture
|
| Taylor, Bradley | bwtaylo3@ncsu.edu | http://www.bradwtaylor.com/ |
Freshwater ecosystems, Community and ecosystem ecology
|
| Terando, Adam | ajterand@ncsu.edu | https://cals.ncsu.edu/applied-ecology/people/ajterand/ |
Human-caused global change impacts on climate and ecosystems
|
| Walker, Christopher | cswalke4@ncsu.edu | christopherscottwalker.com |
Anatomy, Biological anthropology
|
| Youngsteadt, Elsa | ekyoungs@ncsu.edu | http://youngsteadtlab.org/ |
Urban ecology, Community ecology, Wild pollinators
|
| Zakas, Christina | czakas@ncsu.edu | zakaslab.weebly.com |
EvoDevo, Genetics & Genomics, Life-History
|
| Zanno, Lindsay | lezanno@ncsu.edu | https://zannolab.wordpress.com/ and https://expeditionlive.org/ |
Paleontology, Evolutionary Biology
|