Plant Biology, Population and Community Ecology
Organisms are the actors performing the evolutionary play in the ecological theater. Biophysical laws define the range of possible physiological traits that organisms can express. Physiological processes in turn constrain population dynamics of individual species that lead to the intraspecific and interspecific interactions found in the complex communities that are studied by Harvard Forest researchers. This varied ecological theater is the template for evolutionary changes that feed back on and modify organismal physiology and ecology. A major challenge for evolutionary ecology is the integration of organismal biology with ecosystem dynamics. We directly address this challenge through collaborative research involving physiologists, population and community ecologists, evolutionary geneticists, and ecosystem scientists. These projects include: