This cluster of programs is located within the Division of Environmental Biology and supports research on the patterns and causes of diversity within and among populations and species. Research projects may involve any group of organisms, including terrestrial, freshwater, and marine taxa, and may range in subject from microbes to multicellular plants, animals, and fungi. Population Biology - This program focuses on measures of population properties and understanding processes that lead to variation within and between populations. Approaches include empirical and theoretical studies of population structure and dynamics, microevolution, organismal adaptation, geographical differentiation, natural hybridization and speciation, and processes that lead to macroevolutionary patterns of trait evolution. Other programs within NSF also support research that address aspects of ecology and evolutionary biology.
Interdisciplinary studies are welcome.
Biotic Surveys and Inventories - Main focus areas of this program include collecting and recording the diversity of life on Earth. Permanent, well-curated collections and computerized databases are strongly encouraged as products of the program's support. For more information, see program announcement NSF 98-158 . This cluster of programs is located within the Division of Environmental Biology and supports research on natural and managed ecological systems, primarily in terrestrial, wetland, and freshwater habitats. Projects are multidisciplinary and actively encourage collaborative research with non-ecological investigators.