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The future of ecology is collaborative, inclusive and deconstructs biases

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 2, page 200 (2018)Cite this article

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To the Editor — Scientists make lists. We do this to organize, summarize, discover patterns, predict future trends and understand how the world works. Some lists expand our thinking and improve our research, other lists are restrictive. Here, we argue that the ‘100 articles’ list compiled by Courchamp & Bradshaw1 is more restrictive than constructive. The list continues a long-standing tradition of highlighting almost exclusively work from male scientists and perpetuates a false perception that women, people of colour and people from the Global South are new to the field of ecology. In addition, the list is restrictive in classifying what ecology is, and is not. There are entire dimensions of ecology that are not represented, and the emphasis of traditional community ecology comes at the cost of population ecology, landscape ecology, ecosystem ecology, palaeoecology, behavioural ecology, physiological ecology and more2. We write this as a form of positive intervention because in order to advance the field of ecology, we need to advance and welcome the intellectual contributions of the full breadth of past, current and aspiring ecological scientists.

Innovation, creativity and problem-solving are enhanced when tackled by diverse teams3,4. Numerous ecology studies have demonstrated that species and genetic diversity support ecosystem functioning, the effect of which is often more than the sum of the individual parts5,6,7. Social interactions are similar — socially diverse teams arrive at consensus more quickly and perform tasks more effectively8. Despite general acknowledgement of the benefits of diversity, the field of ecology continues to struggle with great imbalances. Women and people of colour remain chronically underrepresented in ecology faculty positions, and within academia they are less likely to receive awards and funding, be cited, give plenaries, or serve on editorial boards9,10,11. If we continue to ignore those contributions and perspectives, ecology will remain imbalanced and continue to miss the mark on being relevant to society and for social justice12.

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands

    Kelly S. Ramirez & Ruth Schmidt

  2. University of California, Merced, CA, USA

    Asmeret Asefaw Berhe

  3. School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

    Jenn Burt

  4. Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, UK

    Graciela Gil-Romera

  5. Pyrenean Institute of Ecology - Spanish Research Council (CSIC), Zaragoza, Spain

    Graciela Gil-Romera

  6. Citizen Science, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Rebecca F. Johnson

  7. Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Amanda M. Koltz

  8. Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA

    Iara Lacher

  9. California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA, USA

    Terry McGlynn

  10. Department of Entomology, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Terry McGlynn

  11. Estuary & Ocean Science Center, Romberg Tiburon Campus, San Francisco State University, Tiburon, CA, USA

    Karina J. Nielsen

  12. DAPPER Stats, University of Florida, Portland, OR, USA

    Juniper L. Simonis

  13. Biology Department, California State University, Northridge, CA, USA

    Casey P. terHorst

  14. Impact Media Lab, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Kika Tuff

Authors
  1. Kelly S. Ramirez
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  2. Asmeret Asefaw Berhe
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  3. Jenn Burt
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  4. Graciela Gil-Romera
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  8. Terry McGlynn
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  13. Kika Tuff
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kelly S. Ramirez.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Ramirez, K.S., Berhe, A.A., Burt, J. et al. The future of ecology is collaborative, inclusive and deconstructs biases. Nat Ecol Evol 2, 200 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0445-7

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