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"Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution"— Thomas Dobzhansky.
It's time to take what looks like a side trip from ecology to evolution. It's not a side trip for two reasons. First, evolution by natural selection can claim to be the paradigm of biology, the central organizing idea, as illustrated by the quote I used to open this announcement. Second, biodiversity is one of the science-based sustainability principles, along with chemical cycling and solar energy. Evolution creates biodiversity, so understanding evolution is important for understanding biodiversity and therefore understanding an important component of sustainability. As for evolution's relationship to ecology, ecologist G. Evelyn Hutchinson called the relationship "The Ecological Theater and the Evolutionary Play" in a book title. The environment is the setting, ecology sets the rules, and evolution provides the players and plot.
It's time to take what looks like a side trip from ecology to evolution. It's not a side trip for two reasons. First, evolution by natural selection can claim to be the paradigm of biology, the central organizing idea, as illustrated by the quote I used to open this announcement. Second, biodiversity is one of the science-based sustainability principles, along with chemical cycling and solar energy. Evolution creates biodiversity, so understanding evolution is important for understanding biodiversity and therefore understanding an important component of sustainability. As for evolution's relationship to ecology, ecologist G. Evelyn Hutchinson called the relationship "The Ecological Theater and the Evolutionary Play" in a book title. The environment is the setting, ecology sets the rules, and evolution provides the players and plot.
