{"id":10203,"date":"2014-05-14T19:08:59","date_gmt":"2014-05-14T23:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/?page_id=10203"},"modified":"2026-01-29T20:26:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T20:26:10","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Ecotone<\/strong>: News & Views on Ecological Science<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ecotone<\/em> is the news and outreach forum for the Ecological Society of America<\/a>, featuring breaking news from our scholarly journals<\/a> and around the ecological community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ecotone<\/em> showcases ecology and ecologists, focusing on ecological science in the news and its use in policy and education. We welcome guest submissions<\/a> of timely relevant news of importance to the broad ecological community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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eco\u2022tone<\/strong> from eco<\/em>logy (eco<\/em>; Greek \u03bf\u1f36\u03ba\u03bf\u03c2<\/em>, oikos \u201chouse\/dwelling\u201d) + -tone<\/em> from the Greek \u03c4\u03cc\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2 tonos,<\/em> \u201ctension.\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Pacific crest ecotone. <\/strong>Greens and browns brightly demarcate the ecosystem transition, or ecotone, in this image acquired by the USGS\u00a0Landsat 5<\/a>\u00a0satellite on 27 Oct 2011.\u00a0Image courtesy of Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, and Tassia Owen \/ NASA Earth Observatory<\/a><\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two houses in tension: an ecotone is a border zone, where ecological systems meet and mingle, sometimes forming a new and different community of species. Ecotones occur edges and physical boundaries, where fresh water meets salt water and water meets land, where tides roll up and down coasts, where the fir trees of taiga forests give way to the lichen and grass of tundra and woodlands become pastures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It refers to the transition from one ecosystem to another, as well the stress inherent in a population at the limit of its tolerance for specific environmental conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Ecological Society of America<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ESA<\/a> is a professional society for ecologists<\/strong> engaged in all aspects of the discipline, from field work to computational modeling, teaching at all educational levels, environmental policy, communications, and more. The society has convened yearly meetings<\/a> since its founding, in 1915. We are the largest community of professional ecologists, with 10,000 members worldwide, and a trusted source of ecological knowledge. ESA is committed to advancing the understanding of life on earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The society is a 501(c)(3)<\/a> non-profit organized exclusively for scientific and educational purposes to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(1) promote ecological science by improving communication among ecologists through publication of journals and holding meetings;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(2) raise the public\u2019s level of awareness of the importance of ecological science and ensure the continuing supply of new ecologists through educational and outreach activities;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(3) increase the resources available for the conduct of ecological science through efforts of the membership in both the private and public sectors; and<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(4) ensure the appropriate use of ecological science in environmental decision\u00ad-making by enhancing communication between the ecological community and policy\u00admakers at all levels of government and the private sector; provided, however, that all of the foregoing purposed are within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law (the \u201cCode\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Education<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

ESA runs workshops for educators, fosters diversity<\/a> in undergraduate education through our SEEDS<\/a> program, and maintains a Digital Library<\/a> of educational resources. Learn more about our educational initiatives on our education page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Science<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Working groups, ad hoc<\/em> reports<\/a> and publications<\/a>, workshops, and small meetings. Learn more about these and other initiatives to advance the science of ecology on the science page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

ESA journals<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Our seven journals publish cutting edge research from the full spectrum of ecological science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n