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The world's largest gathering of ecologists is ready for you! Early-bird registration is open through June 22 --- ESA members enjoy the biggest savings.

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Congrats, Award Winners!

Congrats, Award Winners!

Meet the winners of this year's ESA awards, recognized for their contributions to ecology in new discoveries, teaching, sustainability, diversity and lifelong commitment to the profession.

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Funding Support

Funding Support

Need help to attend? Registration and travel money, plus presentation awards and other opportunities are available from our sections and chapters.

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Providing Child Care

Providing Child Care

We are pleased to once again be working with KiddieCorps to provide child care options in Portland, subsidizing 50% of costs for attendees. Please pre-register and pay by July 10.

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Endowment Status

Endowment Status

A SEEDS Henry L. Gholz National Field Trip endowment announcement.

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Certification

Certification

Employers in all sectors value a credential that validates your skill as a professional. Learn more about ongoing changes to ESA certification and start your application today!

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Opportunity Fund Donations

Opportunity Fund Donations

Make a difference and fund programs which empower, educate and embolden both the current and next generation of scientists in the vast field of ecology.

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Journals & Publications

  • Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

    Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

    In the Southern Ocean, extent and quality of sea ice are key to the reproductive success of certain Antarctic pinnipeds such as the leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx). When sea-ice concentrations fall below 10%, researchers capture fewer seal vocalizations – recorded underwater and serving as a proxy for seal presence and reproductive activity. This finding, by Roca et al. in the June issue of Frontiers, indicates that sea-ice-dependent seals may lack the capacity to adjust the timing of their breeding in response to short-term changes in environmental conditions, which is critical given intensified climate-change impacts in polar regions.

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  • Ecology

    Ecology

    Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) fruit from a hardwood log in New Hampshire, USA. In their study in the June issue of Ecology, Borgmann-Winter et al. compared fungal spores in rodent scat to windborne spores and found that these two dispersal pathways support complementary fungal communities. Wood saprotrophs (such as the oyster mushroom) were among those fungal functional types most common in windborne spore samples, whereas mycorrhizal fungi and soil saprotrophs were among those common in rodent scat. These findings demonstrate the importance of vertebrates in supporting fungal communities, which in turn facilitate nutrient cycling, decomposition, and plant community composition through mycorrhizal symbiosis.

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  • Ecosphere

    Ecosphere

    To understand how environmental variables influence white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawn survival, Engebretsen et al. deployed 180 cameras throughout the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and the Big Cypress National Preserve. The authors were able to identify 271 fawns, such as the one shown here traveling with its mother through a cypress dome in the Big Cypress National Preserve. The authors used the camera data to create a data set for a spatial capture–recapture analysis that revealed differences in survival to 180 days between fawns born in 2015 and those born in 2016. The data reported in their paper in the April issue of Ecosphere suggest that extreme weather events likely contributed to lower recruitment in south Florida, USA.

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  • Ecological Applications

    Ecological Applications

    On the outskirts of Madison, Wisconsin, USA, a pickerel frog (Lithobates palustris) keeps an eye out for new threats in a changing landscape. In their study in the June issue of Ecological Applications, Trovillion et al. show that urban development often simplifies lentic habitats into stormwater retention ponds, reduces connectivity, and facilitates nonnative species introductions leading to reduced richness. However, greenspaces that preserve complex habitats may allow native aquatic communities to persist within the urban environment.

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  • Ecological Monographs

    Ecological Monographs

    Biodiversity–ecosystem functioning (BEF) experiments can be used to better understand the mechanisms behind diversity and ecosystem functions relationships. The BEF-China tree diversity experiment site is pictured here during early morning in September 2019. In their study published in the May issue of Ecological Monographs, Beugnon et al. studied the mechanisms behind tree diversity effects on microbial biomass and soil carbon concentration at this site. Their results highlight strong effects of forest diversity on soil microbial biomass and carbon by driving forest productivity, tree functional traits, and micro-environmental conditions.

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  • Bulletin

    Bulletin

    In the April issue of the ESA Bulletin, Lauren D. Pharr interviews Joseph Drew Lanham, a Black Man, naturalist, writer, and poet, and new MacArthur Fellow. Lanham is an ornithologist and bird watcher. The Bulletin contribution explores Lanham's influence, significance, and perspectives on ecology and society.

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Career Opportunities Around the Nation

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ESA is the nation's largest organization of professional ecologists. ESA membership is the best opportunity to network with scientists in all aspects of ecology. Membership is on a sliding scale based on income and country to help promote inclusion.

ESA's Mission

The Ecological Society of America advances the science and practice of ecology and supports ecologists throughout their careers.

ESA's Vision

The Ecological Society of America envisions a future where people embrace science to understand and foster a thriving planet.

ESA's Values

Integrity
ESA is a trusted source of scientific knowledge that serves as a foundation for understanding and action.
Inclusion
ESA provides the community of ecologists of diverse backgrounds, heritage, and career paths with a supportive home that advances their aspirations.
Adaptability
ESA responds creatively to continuous change in our natural and social environments.