Editing Evolutionary ecology (section)

==Evolutionary ecologists==
[[Image:Charles Darwin by Julia Margaret Cameron, c. 1868.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Julia Margaret Cameron]]'s portrait of Darwin]]

=== Charles Darwin ===

The basis of the central principles of evolutionary ecology can be attributed to [[Charles Darwin]] (1809–1882), specifically in referencing his theory of [[natural selection]] and [[population dynamics]], which discusses how populations of a species change over time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sites.nicholas.duke.edu/ecologyapp/modules/population-dynamics/|title=Population Dynamics |work= Nicholas School of the Environment e-cology Project |publisher=Duke University|language=en-US|access-date=2017-12-08 | date=2016}}</ref> According to [[Ernst Mayr]], professor of zoology at Harvard University, Darwin's most distinct contributions to evolutionary biology and ecology are as follows: "The first is the non-constancy of species, or the modern conception of [[evolution]] itself. The second is the notion of branching evolution, implying the common descent of all species of living things on earth from a single unique origin."<ref name=mayr>{{Cite news|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/darwins-influence-on-modern-thought/|title=Darwin's Influence on Modern Thought|last=Mayr|first=Ernst|work=Scientific American|access-date=2017-12-08|language=en | date= 2009 | author-link= Ernst Mayr}}</ref> Additionally, "Darwin further noted that evolution must be gradual, with no major breaks or discontinuities. Finally, he reasoned that the mechanism of evolution was natural selection."<ref name=mayr />

=== George Evelyn Hutchinson ===
[[G. Evelyn Hutchinson|George Evelyn Hutchinson's]] (1903–1991) contributions to the field of ecology spanned over 60 years, in which he had significant influence in systems ecology, radiation ecology, [[limnology]], and [[entomology]].<ref name="Slobodkin 1993">{{Cite journal|last=Slobodkin|first=L.B.|date=1993|title=An Appreciation: George Evelyn Hutchinson|jstor=5370|journal=Journal of Animal Ecology|volume=62|issue=2|pages=390–394|doi=10.2307/5370|bibcode=1993JAnEc..62..390S }}</ref> Described as the "father of modern ecology" <ref name="Slobodkin 1993"/> by [[Stephen Jay Gould]], Hutchinson was one of the first scientists to link the subjects of ecology and mathematics. According to Hutchinson, he constructed "mathematical models of populations, the changing proportions of individuals of various ages, birthrate, the [[ecological niche]], and population interaction in this technical introduction to population ecology."<ref>{{Cite book|title=Introduction to Population Ecology|last=Rockwood|first= Larry L.|date=2006|publisher=Wiley Blackwell |isbn=978-1-4051-3263-3|location=Malden, MA|oclc=60322007}}</ref>  He also had a vast interest in limnology, due to his belief that lakes could be studied as a [[microcosm (experimental ecosystem)|microcosm]] that provides insight into system behavior.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hyland|first=Callen|date=Summer 2011|title=The Art of Ecology, Writings of G. Evelyn Hutchinson|journal=The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine|volume=84|issue=2|pages=175–176|issn=0044-0086|pmc=3117418}}</ref> Hutchinson is also known for his work Circular Causal Systems in Ecology, in which he states that "groups of organisms may be acted upon by their environment, and they may react upon it. If a set of properties in either system changes in such a way that the action of the first system on the second changes, this may cause changes in properties of the second system which alter the mode of action of the second system on the first."<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hutchinson|first=G. Evelyn|date=1948-10-01|title=Circular Causal Systems in Ecology|journal=Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences|language=en|volume=50|issue=4|pages=221–246|doi=10.1111/j.1749-6632.1948.tb39854.x|pmid=18886382|issn=1749-6632|bibcode=1948NYASA..50..221H|s2cid=29091812|df=dmy|author-link=G. Evelyn Hutchinson}}</ref>

=== Robert MacArthur ===

[[Robert H. MacArthur|Robert MacArthur]] (1930–1972) is best known in the field of Evolutionary Ecology for his work ''[[The Theory of Island Biogeography]]'', in which he and his co-author propose "that the number of species on any island reflects a balance between the rate at which new species colonize it and the rate at which populations of established species become [[Extinction|extinct]]."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://web.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Island_Biogeography.html|title=Island Biogeography|website=web.stanford.edu|access-date=2017-12-08}}</ref>

=== Eric Pianka ===

According to the University of Texas, [[Eric Pianka]]'s (1939–2022) work in evolutionary ecology includes foraging strategies, reproductive tactics, competition and niche theory, community structure and organization, species diversity, and understanding rarity.<ref name=sps>{{Cite web|url=http://www.zo.utexas.edu/courses/THOC/ERP-Contributions.html|title=Eric Pianka's Contributions to Ecology|website=FS 301. The Human Overpopulation Crisis | author= Eric R. Pianka | publisher= University of Texas Austin |access-date=2017-12-08 | date= 2008 | type= undergraduate course material}}</ref> Pianka is also known for his interest in lizards to study ecological occurrences, as he claimed they were "often abundant, making them relatively easy to locate, observe, and capture."<ref name=sps />{{self-published inline|date=December 2023}}

=== Michael Rosenzweig ===

[[Michael Rosenzweig|Michael L. Rosenzweig]] (1941–present) created and popularized [[Reconciliation ecology]], which began with his theory that designated nature preserves would not be enough land to conserve the [[biodiversity]] of Earth, as humans have used so much land that they have negatively impacted [[biogeochemical cycle]]s and had other ecological impacts that have negatively affected species compositions.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Win-win ecology: how the earth's species can survive in the midst of human enterprise|last=Rosenzweig |first=Michael L. |date=2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-515604-1|location=Oxford|oclc=62866022|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/winwinecologyhow00rose_0}}</ref>

=== Other notable evolutionary ecologists ===
* [[R. A. Fisher]] (1890–1962), whose 1930 [[fundamental theorem of natural selection]] recognised the power of rigorous application of the theory of natural selection to population biology.<ref>Eric R. Pianka. 2011. Evolutionary Ecology. Seventh Edition – eBook. p. 13. Accessed 7 June 2014.</ref>
* [[David Lack]] (1910–1973), a follower of [[Charles Darwin]], worked to merge the fields of [[evolutionary biology]] and [[ecology]], focusing mainly on birds and [[evolution]].
* [[Thierry Lodé]] (1956–present), a French ecologist whose work focused on how sexual conflict in populations of species impacts evolution.<ref>Thierry Lodé 2014. Manifeste pour une écologie évolutive. Eds Odile Jacob, Paris.</ref><ref>{{ cite journal | doi-access= free | last2= Holveck | last1=Lodé| first1= Thierry|first2=Marie-Jeanne |title=Asynchronous arrival pattern, operational sex ratio and occurrence of multiple paternities in a territorial breeding anuran, ''Rana dalmatina'' | journal= Biological Journal of the Linnean Society|volume= 86|number= 2|date= 2005|pages= 191–200|doi= 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2005.00521.x | author1-link= Thierry Lodé | first3= David | last3= Lesbarrères }}</ref>