David Tilman, co-lead investigator of the Cedar Creek (CDR) Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program and the Director of the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, was recently awarded two international prizes. In June, he was awarded the Premi Ramon Margalef Award for Ecology, created in honor of ecologist Dr. Ramon Margalef by the Spanish state of Catalonia, and in October a 2014 Balzan Prize in recognition of his outstanding scholarly contributions in ecology.
Tilman's research at Cedar Creek focuses on the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning, ways to more sustainably produce biofuels, the factors allowing the stable coexistence of multiple coexisting species, and how evolutionary history and tradeoffs have influenced coexistence and speciation.
The Margalef Award recognizes people from around the world who have distinguished themselves by their dedication in the field of ecological science. The selection committee noted Tilman’s leadership and the many new ideas he has introduced in the field of ecology, saying his research had opened up new ways of study that have been followed by many ecologists, who are his intellectual children. “I was totally surprised,” says Tilman. “I’m deeply honored and pleased to join the esteemed company of past recipients of the Margalef Award.”
In turn, the Balzan Prize recognizes researchers’ contributions to understanding the structure of plant communities and how they interact with their environment. According to a release by the International Balzan Prize Foundation, Tilman received the distinction for his “huge contributions to theoretical and experimental plant ecology, work that underpins much of our current understanding of how plant communities are structured and interact with their environment.”
The Balzan Prize focuses on achievements in the humanities and natural sciences, as well as in advancing peace among humanity. The foundation varies the fields it recognizes each year with an eye to uplifting innovative research across disciplinary boundaries. Tilman was one of four scholars from around the world to receive the prize this year. Past recipients of the award include Mother Teresa of Calcutta and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“I am deeply honored to be chosen for the Balzan Prize, and delighted that this award will also support young scholars who share my interests in the unsolved mysteries of ecology and the environmental problems that the earth faces,” Tilman said. “The examples set by my senior colleagues almost four decades ago inspired any successes that I have been fortunate to have.”