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Organic evolution, the unifying theory of modern biology, is concerned with sources of biological
adaptations, mechanisms driving the origin of the enormous diversity of past and present species, and
the shared ancestry and phylogenetic patterns of all life forms on Earth. Systematics, the study of
phylogenetic relationships among organisms, is tightly linked with evolutionary biology. Together,
evolution and systematics constitute the basis for exciting innovations in understanding the history and
patterns of all life on the planet. These disciplines not only have intrinsic intellectual importance,
they are critical for preservation of biological diversity, especially in the face of ongoing environmental change.

Members of CESB share a primary commitment to understanding evolutionary relationships among living and extinct organisms and the mechanisms by which evolution occurs across a range of spatial and temporal scales. The members also apply evolutionary and phylogenetic perspectives to problems in systematics, ecology, conservation biology, phylogeography, paleontology, comparative physiology, behavior and other areas. The diverse faculty members comprising the CESB are committed to interdisciplinary perspectives, and they have their academic homes in several departments. Their interests span the spectrum of organisms (microbes, plants, animals and fungi), timescales (modern to ancient), and methodologies (morphological to molecular, field, lab and theory). Together they provide an educational resource and scientific vision for evolutionary and systematic biology at the University of Wyoming.
 

Wyoming's magnificent and varied landscape provides an ideal natural laboratory for exploring these evolutionary and systematic interests. Wyoming's basins and mountain ranges abound in rich fossil beds, and its landscape ranges from extensive sagebrush steppes to alpine summits, with extensive forests and woodlands in between. With such wonders as the Red Desert, Grand Tetons and the magnificent ecosystem of the Yellowstone plateau, Wyoming offers a huge variety of ecosystems and biological and geological gradients. Wyoming is the only state in the nation with fewer than half a million people. Indeed, antelope very nearly outnumber humans. Opportunities for local fieldwork on a huge variety of taxa and terrains, and at a variety of time scales, are plentiful.

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