Center for Ecology

Welcome to the Center for Ecology!

Ecology is the study of relationships between organisms, including humans, and their environment. The purpose of these pages is to foster communication and collaboration among faculty, staff, and students with ecological interests at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and to provide information for people outside the university that might be interested in the activities of our group. Ecologists at SIUC are spread across several programs including Anthropology, Forestry, Geography, Geology, Microbiology, Plant Biology, Plant, Soil & Agricultural Systems, and Zoology in numerous Schools (School of Biological Sciences, School of Earth Systems and Sustainability, and School of Agricultural Sciences).  

Facilities associated with the Center include the Middle Mississippi River Wetlands Field Station and the Core Facility for Ecological Analyses, which houses state of the art equipment for processing of soil, water, and tissue samples.  The Center for Ecology supports outreach and education activities through the Graduate Research Assistants Supporting Science (GRASS) program, a group of SIU graduate students that work with local teachers and youth group leaders to promote ecological education.