KU scientist named a fellow of Ecological Society of America
LAWRENCE — Jim Bever, University of Kansas Foundation Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and a senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, is one of seven scientists across the U.S. who have been named fellows of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) this year.
The society announced its 2023 fellows on April 5. Its fellowship program recognizes the many ways in which its members contribute to ecological research, communication, education, management and policy. This year, the society’s governing board confirmed seven new fellows and 10 new early career fellows.
Fellows are members who have made outstanding contributions to a wide range of fields served by ESA, including, but not restricted to, those who advance or apply ecological knowledge in academics, government, nonprofit organizations and the broader society. They are elected for life.
Bever integrates theory with empirical tests of population and community dynamics of plants and microbes. He received his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Illinois, the University of Michigan and Duke University, respectively. He developed the plant-soil feedback experimental and theoretical approaches to understand the soil microbiome influence on plant community structure. His work contributed to a growing awareness of the role of soil pathogens and mutualists in plant species coexistence, succession, biodiversity-ecosystem function relationships, invasion and native plant restoration. His work also tests forces influencing the dynamics and stability of the mycorrhizal mutualism.
ESA established its fellows program in 2012 with the goal of honoring its members and supporting their competitiveness and advancement to leadership positions in the society, at their institutions and in broader society. Past ESA fellows and early career fellows are listed on the ESA Fellows page.
ESA will formally acknowledge and celebrate its new fellows for their exceptional achievements during a ceremony at ESA’s 2023 Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon.
The Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research houses a diverse group of ecological research and remote sensing/GIS programs at KU. It also manages the 3,300-acre KU Field Station, a resource for study across the university.
Top image: Jim Bever, University of Kansas Foundation Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and a senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, at the KU Field Station.