Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

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Gavrilets Receives Army Research Grants

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Sergey Gavrilets, a distinguished professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, has received more than $1.1 million in grants from the Army Research Office for study into societal resilience using evolutionary models and theories of revolution.

Gavrilet’s research is funded by the Department of Defense’s Minerva Program, which is dedicated to predicting future socio-political crises in the world and societies’ resilience to various political, economic, environmental, and health-related shocks.

“I work with mathematical models to develop a theory that hopefully will be useful to predict or identify certain problems or uncover gaps in our knowledge,” Gavrilets said. “I used to work a lot in biology and biological evolution, but lately I’ve shifted towards social and cultural evolution and behavior.”  

By using new and improved modeling tools, analysts will be able to assess political stability risks, improving predictions and explanations for societal unrest.

“The reason why we want to do this is because life is getting pretty complicated, especially over the last 10 to 20 years,” he said. “Conflicts are popping up in different places and usually come completely unexpected. Naturally, everyone wants to understand them better and hopefully predict them.”

Gavrilet’s research will also yield theoretical and modeling approaches with applications in fundamental sciences such as psychology, anthropology, and evolutionary biology.

–By Kelly Alley

The University of Tennessee wishes to acknowledge Lisa Troyer at the Army Research Office for supporting these projects.

Kivlin Coauthors Article on Fungal Aerobiota

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Stephanie KivlinStephanie Kivlin, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, coauthored a paper titled “Fungal aerobiota are not affected by time nor environment over a 13-y time series at the Mauna Loa Observatory,” published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers used 13 years of collected air samples from Mauna Loa Observatory on Hawaii Island to determine if local or global environmental factors influence fungi composition.

“One of the big questions in microbial ecology is trying to figure out how microbes disperse around the world and if they can disperse everywhere,” Kivlin said.

Kivlin and other researchers from the University of Hawaii initially genetically sequenced fungal spores and studied their traits, such as size and shape, before discovering the role wind patterns play in fungal spore dispersal.

“What we found was that we could trace back wind patterns to try to understand where the wind was coming from that deposited the fungal spores on the filters,” Kivlin said. “We saw some that were coming from Asia, bringing fungi that are never found in Hawaii. The wind patterns are really what’s blowing the fungi around.”

The researchers also discovered that some airborne fungal spores are still viable after traveling long distances.

“Because we found a couple of fungi that were dispersing all the way across the Pacific Ocean, we need to really consider how far fungi can go and what that means for dispersal of new pathogens into new areas,” Kivlin said. “We need to have better theory about how often those dispersal events occur, which fungi are coming, and if they are beneficial or harmful.”

Coauthors on the paper include Laura Tipton, Anthony Amend, and Nicole Hyson from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Erin Datlof from the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Geoffrey Zahn from Utah Valley University, and Patrick Sheridan from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Global Monitoring Division.

By Kelly Alley

In Memory of Ed Clebesch

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Ed ClebeschAs snow blanketed the Smokies, Edward (Ed) Ernst Cooper Clebsch (June 6, 1929 – December 14, 2019) passed away in peace surrounded by his family.

He was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, to Julia (Wilee) and Alfred Bernhard Clebsch, an immigrant from Bremen, Germany. Edward Clebsch, professor emeritus, spent most of his life living in Tennessee: Clarksville, Knoxville, Greenback, Norris, and Oak Ridge.

His father instilled in him a deep love of the natural world and music. Memories of his fun-loving mother’s cooking inspired him to become a consummate bread baker. Ed was always happy to share a loaf with friends.

He was a Clarksville High School graduate (1947), then played piccolo and flute in the Army band during the Korean War (1951-1952).

At 14, Ed knew he wanted to be a botanist. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in botany at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His received his PhD from Duke University with a dissertation on Tristetum spicatum in far northern Alaska.

Ed joined UT as a botany professor in 1963 and played a leadership role in developing the UT program in ecological sciences. His research took him to many places, including Alaska, Montana, Idaho, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

As a gifted professor and lifelong ponderer of the wonders of the world, Ed influenced many lives: his love of plants, innate understanding of ecology, outdoor skills, and great sense of humor motivated many students to pursue careers in the natural sciences. He advised 32 master’s students and 17 doctoral students, as well as postdoctoral fellows, in the ecology of tundra, catfish, earthworms, biogeochemistry, biogeography, and plant populations.

He co-wrote and supervised more than 100 scientific publications (40 as primary author), theses, and dissertations. Participating and belonging to more than 60 organizations and committees during his 90 years, he was instrumental in the creation of many lasting endeavors, including the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage, the UT Arboretum, Smoky Mountains Field School, and Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning.

Ed was sought after as a presenter and field trip leader outside of academia. He received the Community Outreach Service Award in the College of Liberal Arts of the University of Tennessee in 1990 for his public service.

On the river, up a mountain, and around the campfire, Ed transferred his curiosity and excitement to his students, earning him the Meritorious Teaching Award of the Association of Southeastern Biologists in 1998. Other career awards included the Tom Dodd, Jr. Native Plantsman Award in 2002 for conservation and horticulture of native plants.

Being a lifelong voracious reader, he belonged to a book club in Oak Ridge known for its lively discussions, good food, and deep friendships.

Edward E. C. Clebsch will be missed and has left a legacy of love and laughter. He leaves three children, Liese Clebsch Dean (Idaho), Julia Clebsch (West Virginia), Hans Clebsch (Ohio), their spouses, and his two grandchildren, Luis C. Clebsch and Cooper D. Dean. He was preceded in death by his two older brothers Alfred and William Clebsch.

Following in the footsteps of his passions, his daughters worked for the US Forest Service and the National Park Service, and his son plays French Horn with the Cleveland Orchestra.

There will be no memorial service, but following Ed’s wishes, a celebration of his life is in the planning.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his memory to Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, TCWP, P. O. Box 6873, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830.

Submitted by Julia C. Clebsch, Liese Dean, and Hans Clebsch

Faculty Honored at College Awards Banquet

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The 2019 College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Awards banquet took place Thursday, December 5 at the Holiday Inn Downtown. From Diversity Leadership to awards in research, advising, and teaching, the annual awards banquet honors faculty excellence in all areas of the college mission.

Elizabeth Derryberry, Charlie Kwit, and Beth Schussler received awards for their work in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

“As we recognize particularly outstanding faculty this evening, I want to thank all of our faculty in the college, individually and collectively, for everything you do— your teaching, research, service on college and university committees, thesis committees, and tenure and promotion committees, and service to the public through community engagement,” said Theresa Lee, dean of the college and emcee for the awards ceremony. “A college can be no greater or stronger than its faculty and the College of Arts and Sciences is a college of excellence because each of you has a passion for our profession and you work selflessly to make our students, departments and university the best they can be.”

derryberry

Elizabeth Derryberry, associate professor, received a Mid-Career Award for Research and Creative Achievement. Derryberry’s research focuses on passerine bird evolution and bird songs – important topics that are notoriously difficult to study. Her exciting project on the effects of human-mediated noise in urban environments on bird song demonstrate both changes in song parameters in response to noise and consequences for ecosystem fitness. Derryberry is the author of more than 50 highly cited papers and an associate editor for two prestigious journals: Evolution and Journal of Animal Behavior. Her work is top-notch, broad-thinking, impactful science at its best. She is an outstanding student mentor and passionate about her outreach to increase opportunities for girls and women in science.

kwit

Charlie Kwit, professor and joint faculty in EEB and the Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries in the Herbert College of Agriculture, received the Academic Outreach Award for Teaching. His work to promote natural history knowledge in the Southeast exemplifies academic outreach in teaching. This year, he received a grant to increase HBCU representation to the Southeastern Chapter of the Ecological Society of America and support students engaged in the work of the Society. He also organized a session at the annual ESA meeting that spotlighted the biodiversity of the Southeast and the challenges we face in maintaining that rich biological heritage. Kwit also fosters UT students in outreach through clubs and courses. Students in his class experience the very best of what is intended as part of the new Experience Learning efforts. They see the utility of what they are learning, enriching their engagement with the material, while also helping to build relationships between UT and the community that strengthen the institution.

schussler

Beth Schussler, professor, received the James R. and Nell W. Cunningham Teaching Award, the college’s highest teaching honor. There are no specific requirements listed for the award, but there are some things that are typical of the winners. One, excellence in the classroom. Schussler is highly praised by students and peers for her work in some of the more demanding biology courses. Two, contributions to excellence in others. Schussler supervised the lecturers and GTAs in the general biology courses, and helped train the GTAs, which came from all three of the departments in the Division of Biology. Finally, contributions to teaching beyond their courses and department. Schussler has organized workshops on teaching for STEM departments, and continues to be involved with nation-wide efforts and grants helping to improve biology and STEM instruction.

Congratulations to our Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology faculty award winners.

Harvey Publishes Article on Speciation

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Michael Harvey

Mike Harvey, a postdoctoral fellow in the UT Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, published an article titled “Beyond Reproductive Isolation: Demographic Controls on the Speciation Process” in the Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics.

The article is a review of the past method of determining the cause of speciation – the process of how new species form. Harvey points out in the article there are other ways to determine the causes that lead to the creation of new species besides reproductive isolation, including the isolation and persistence of certain species populations. 

“Initially, you have one population, and something happens to split that population into two,” Harvey said. “Those two populations need to persist for a long time. If they go extinct, the populations will not survive long enough for reproductive isolation to evolve between them.”

 Harvey outlines the process of speciation in the article, focusing on the role of population isolation and persistence as catalysts for new species.

“We’re not providing new data,” Harvey said. “We’re describing a new way to approach or way to look at how new species form.”

Harvey hopes the article will encourage more researchers to collaborate and to step back and look at other causes of speciation.

“I hope it’s going to get more researchers thinking about being collaborative and integrated in the way they do research. Not just focus on what they do, but maybe reach across different fields and draw from other types of data and research,” Harvey said. “Taking a step back and considering these other parts of the process could be really important.”

Co-authors on the article include Sonal Singhal of California State University and Daniel Rabosky of the University of Michigan.

-By Kelly Alley

Gaoue Coauthors Article about Medicinal Jungle Plants

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Ourou Gaoue, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, coauthored a paper titled “Non-random medicinal plants selection in the Kichwa community of the Ecuadorian Amazon,” published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.

Researchers analyzed data collected on indigenous people’s uses of non-random medicinal jungle plants at the local level, rather than at the national level. This is the first time a village-level study has taken place, better ensuring the consistency of plant availability in certain areas.

“When people are doing this study, they are usually doing it at the national scale,” Gaoue said. “If you’re doing the analysis at the national level, you are overestimating the number of plants from which the indigenous people actually find that have medicine.”

The study is also one of the most diverse in research of non-random medicinal plant selection, analyzing gender, age, and exposure to outside influences, such as ecotourism projects, to determine overuse and underuse of medicinal plants in jungle communities.

“Village level analysis provides a different result than at the national level,” Gaoue said. “A plant is not medicine for everyone. Men and women know different kinds of plants. An older person will see a plant with medicine in it that a younger person will not see. People who are educated would not see medicine in a plant that someone in a rural area would be able to see.”

Other authors on the paper include Daniela Robles Arias of Florida Atlantic University, Daniela Cevallos of Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Maria Fadiman of the University of Parakou, and Tobin Hindle of the University of Johanesburg.

-By Kelly Alley

Budke Publishes Paper on Spore Dispersal of Fern

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Jessica Budke, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and director of UT’s Herbarium, published a paper titled “Evolution of Perine Morphology in the Thelypteridaceae” in the International Journal of Plant Sciences, that looks at the dispersal of fern spores.

Researchers focused their study on Thelypteridaceae, a family of ferns that includes more than 1,000 species. Their research focused on spore ornamentation, or shapes and structural characteristics of the outside of the spores.

Researchers then used different spores from across the family to better understand relationships between the species, using a technique called ancestral character state reconstruction.

“We used a lot of molecular data to build a phylogenetic tree, and then mapped on the spore characteristics onto the tree,” Budke said. “By mapping them on the tree, we can look at the evolution of those features.”

The study used resources like the UT Herbarium, a repository of native and naturalized plants and fungi of Tennessee, for dried samples of previously collected ferns.

“We have more than 600,000 plant specimens on campus,” she said. “It saves time and money and resources because you’re not having to run around collecting everything.”

Other coauthors on the paper include University of Connecticut post-doctoral research assistant Nikisha Patel, University of Vermont graduate student Susan Fawcett, and University of Vermont research assistant professor Michael Sundue.

-By Kelly Alley

Underground fungal relationships key to thriving plants

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Stephanie Kivlin

For a plant to thrive, it needs the help of a friendly fungus–preferably one that will dig its way deep into the cells of the plant’s roots.

Plants live in symbiosis with root-associated, or mycorrhizal, fungi. The fungi provide up to 80 percent of the nutrients and water a plant needs to grow, and the plants produce up to 30 percent of the photosynthate–a food substance made through photosynthesis–that the fungi need.

There are two main types of mycorrhizal fungi – arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal. An arbuscular mycorrhiza penetrates the cortical cells of the roots of a plant. Ectomycorrhizal fungi do not penetrate the plant’s cell walls, instead forming a netlike structure around the plant root.

A new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and co-authored by ecologist Stephanie Kivlin, an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, shows that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are especially helpful to the plants they colonize.

“Mycorrhizal fungal associations below the ground are one of the largest influences on plant tissue nutrient concentrations,” said Kivlin. “To optimize plant nutrition, we need to incorporate mycorrhizal associations into our agricultural and management frameworks.”

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi increase plant nutrient concentrations in plant leaves, litter, and roots more than ectomycorrhizal fungi. The type of root-associated fungi present has more influence on a plant’s nutrient levels than plant leaf traits or plant associations with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Kivlin’s co-authors are Colin Averill from ETH Zürich, Jennifer M. Bhatnagar and Michael C. Dietze from Boston University, and William D. Pearse from Utah State University.

The study analyzed more than 17,000 trait observations from nearly 3,000 woody plant species in six categories that demonstrate how readily the plant uses nutrients: the nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations in green leaves, senescent leaves–leaves that are about to fall off or have recently fallen off–and roots. It looks at how mycorrhizal effects vary across environments, doing similar analyses in boreal, temperate, and tropical latitudinal zones.

The Kivlin Lab studies the effects of global change on the distributions, function, and ecosystem consequences of plant mycorrhizal fungal associations worldwide.

“The next steps are to understand if there is variation in nutrient acquisition among fungal species within each mycorrhizal group and how soil nutrient concentrations may interact to influence plant nutrient concentrations with global change,” Kivlin said.

Derryberry Recognized in Women of Ornithology Article

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Elizabeth Derryberry, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, received recognition in a timeline of important female ornithologists in a Cornell Lab of Ornithology article, focusing on the achievements of female ornithologists and their role in determining the causes of evolutionary advancements in birds.

Part of Derryberry’s research focuses on the how bird songs are shaped by urban environments.

“One of the things I’ve been most interested in over the last five years is looking at how urban noise affects bird song,” she said.

Through research in San Francisco of urban and coastal white-crowned sparrows, Derryberry and other researchers determined that the volume and frequency of a song is correlated to the birds’ environment. As noise frequency increases in a city or along the coast, so does the birds’ songs. This creates loud, high pitched notes in shorter intervals, as compared to songs from birds living in low noise frequency environments.

“We found that within a population, males vary their vocalizations in their songs based on how loud it is on their territory,” said Derryberry. “As traffic noise increases and city noise levels increasing, we are seeing a shift up in frequency.”

The article provides a recognition of women ornithologists and highlights the importance their research has had. “I think women have been really impactful in ornithology for a long time,” she said. “It’s really just a matter of recognition. It’s great to see those sorts of efforts.”

Do I need to go to grad school and how do I apply?

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Please join an EEB Undergraduate Brownbag Workshop aimed at answering your most pressing questions about graduate school! A panel of EEB faculty & current UT Grads will answer questions like:

– Why grad school?

– How to set yourself up for grad school

– How to search for programs & advisers

– How to apply

– What we wish we knew BEFORE getting into grad school

– What the graduate experience is like

Bring your lunch (some snacks will be provided) & come learn about graduate school Wednesday, September 18, 2019, from 12:15 pm to 1:05 pm in Hesler 427