CERC Scientists

CERC researchers study the patterns and processes of biological diversification, the impacts of human use on the biotic environment, and the societal implications of managing biological resources at three different scales: 1) the ecosystem level; 2) the species level; and 3) the gene level. CERC research focuses on themes having important management implications at each scale and on complex problems that require broad-based collaboration between institutions and across disciplines. Collectively, the consortium advances society's understanding of the planet's living resources by transferring the knowledge gleaned from this interdisciplinary research into the multitiered education and outreach infrastructure of the consortium.

The patterns, processes, and consequences of the loss of biodiversity are so complex and interrelated that they must be examined at a number of scales and through a variety of disciplines. No single scientific or professional discipline can adequately answer the critical biological, political, social, and economic questions that will improve society's ability to prevent the loss of organisms or otherwise to adapt to the planet's diminished biological resource base.