University of Georgia faculty members Jeb Byers and Amy Rosemond, both professors in the Odum School of Ecology, have been elected Fellows of the Ecological Society of America. The ESA Fellows program recognizes outstanding contributions to the advancement or application of ecological knowledge; Fellows are elected for life. Byers and Rosemond are the sixth and seventh current or former Odum School faculty members so honored.
This year’s class also includes UGA alumni Jianguo “Jack” Liu and Tyler Kartzinel, who was named an Early Career Fellow. The Early Career Fellows program recognizes members who have advanced ecological knowledge and applications and show promise of continuing to make outstanding contributions. They are elected for five years.
James E. “Jeb” Byers, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor of Ecology, was elected for “major contributions to invasion biology, ecosystem engineering, ecological parasitology, and the biogeography of range boundaries, along with excellence in educating and mentoring students and in service to the national and international ecological community,” according to the announcement. Byers studies species interactions in nearshore, estuarine and marsh environments, with a focus on quantitatively measuring impacts of non-indigenous species on native biota in invaded marine communities.
Professor Amy Daum Rosemond was elected for “creative and influential experimental research on the food web, microbial, and biogeochemical dynamics of aquatic ecosystems.” Rosemond studies freshwater ecosystems, with particular focus on understanding the functional response of rivers and streams to excess nutrients and other stressors to inform policy and management.
Jianguo “Jack” Liu, who received his doctorate in ecology in 1992, is the Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability and University Distinguished Professor in the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University. He was elected for “outstanding contributions to the integration of ecology with social sciences and policy for understanding for promoting ecological sustainability, and for his exceptional contributions to mentorship and capacity-building in the area of sustainability.”
Tyler Kartzinel, who received his doctorate from the Odum School in 2012, is assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology in the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society at Brown University, was elected for “outstanding contributions at the interface of ecology and molecular biology, and for his pioneering use of DNA metabarcoding to elucidate the structure of complex terrestrial food webs.”
The complete list of ESA Fellows is available online at https://www.esa.org/esa/about/esa-fellows-program/esa-fellows/.
