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Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyBox G-W107, Providence, RI 02912 This is a collegial group of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, and researchers focused on ecological and evolutionary problems. Research in the department is focused on understanding biological systems at the individual, population and community levels of organization utilizing both plant and animal systems. Major areas pursued by the group include vertebrate functional morphology, the adaptive significance of animal behavior, sexual selection, plant population genetics, evolutionary genetics, marine community ecology, and theoretical and community ecology. Undergraduates are at the center of department activities. They get involved in the department as early as their freshman year by taking introductory courses, participating in the weekly seminar series and working in one of the department's research labs. EEB students also take classes in Applied Math, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Engineering and Geology, and routinely collaborate with researchers in these departments. Courses Offered*
Facilities and OpportunitiesCampus research facilities used by EEB undergraduates include a professionally managed greenhouse, a well-equipped environmental science laboratory, a Global Information System (GIS) Laboratory, a DNA sequencing facility, a large flume for studying bird and fish swimming, and a large wind tunnel for studying bird flight. For field studies, our 350 acre Haffenreffer Reserve is located twenty minutes from campus and has a salt marsh, rocky beach, old field, and old growth forest habitats. Brown has also entered an exciting research and educational partnership with the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole (MBL). MBL is one of the oldest and most accomplished biological research laboratories in the world. MBL has over 45 research faculty with specific strengths in ecosystem ecology, molecular systematics and animal behavior. Brown undergraduates will benefit from the Brown/MBL partnership through new course offerings and increased research opportunities, including projects at MBL laboratories at Woods Hole. The Ecosystem Center at MBL also also offers "Semester in Ecosystem Science" (SES) that is now part of Brown's curriculum. EEB also has close ties to a number of field research stations that are often used by our undergraduates. The Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NBNERR) is an 2,353 acre research area located on islands in the middle of Narragansett Bay that has supported undergraduate EEB researchers for the past decade. NBNERR has salt marsh, rocky shore, subtidal, and terrestrial habitats. The University of Maine's Darling Marine Center and Cornell University's Shoals Marine Lab, both located approximately three hours from campus, are active marine laboratories where Brown faculty have established research programs. We also encourage our students to spend at least a semester at one of many marine laboratories and field stations around the world that offer specialized hands on educational opportunities for undergraduates. Faculty - Who We Are and What We DoMark Bertness, PhD, Professor, Department Chair. Problems in the population and community ecology of marine plants and animals. Elizabeth Brainerd, Ph.D, Professor. Functional morphology, comparative physiology, and biomechanics.
Erika Edwards, PhD, Assistant Professor. Understanding the functional and ecological diversity off vascular plants from an evolutionary perspective. Stephen Gatesy, PhD, Professor. Functional morphology, the evolution of the vertebrate locomotor system. Steven Hamburg, PhD, Associate Professor. Human disturbance on the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems. Fred Jackson, Director, Plant Environmental Center, Teaching Associate. Impact of greenhouse production methods to secondary metabolities on Mondia whytei: An African Medicinal Plant. Christine Janis, PhD, Professor. Vertebrate evolution (especially Cenozoic mammals), craniodental functional morphology, mammalian systematics (especially ungulates). Heather Leslie, PhD, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies. Ecology, policy, and management of coastal marine ecosystems. Douglass Morse, PhD, Professor Emeritus. Behavioral ecology: foraging, life history variables, and sexual selection. David Rand, PhD, Professor, Department Graduate Director. Molecular ecology and evolution, co-evolution of nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, and speciation. Dale Ritter, Morphology Course Director and Lecturer. Thomas Roberts, PhD, Associate Professor. Biomechanics and energetics of vertebrate movement. Osvaldo Sala, PhD, Professor. Arid ecosystems of Patagonia; global change issues with a focus on ecosystem-level questions including primary production, ecosystem-water dymanics, and biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Johanna Schmitt, PhD, Professor (Director of ECI). Plant population biology, ecological genetics, and reproductive ecology.
Sharon Swartz, PhD, Associate Professor. Biomechanics, functional morphology, and the evolution of vertebrate limbs. Marc Tatar, PhD, Professor. Life history evolution with an emphasis on Senescence. Jonathan Waage, PhD, Professor. Behavioral ecology, sexual selection, and insect reproductive behavior. Daniel Weinrich, PhD, Assistant Professor. Darwinian evolution at the level of individual mutations with protein coding genes. Jon Witman, PhD, Associate Professor. Population and community ecology, oceanography, and marine biology Recent Student Projects
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