Championing inclusive terminology in ecology and evolution

Susan J Cheng; Kaitlyn M Gaynor; Alex C Moore; Kathy Darragh; Cesar O Estien; J W Hammond; Christopher Lawrence; Kirby L Mills; Marcella D Baiz; Danielle Ignace; Lily Khadempour; Matthew A McCary; Mallory M Rice; Shersingh Joseph Tumber-Dávila; Justine A Smith

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2022.12.011

Championing inclusive terminology in ecology and evolution

Trends Ecol Evol. 2023 May;38(5):381-384. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.12.011. Epub 2023 Feb 6.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Electronic address: chengs@umich.edu.
² Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Electronic address: gaynor@zoology.ubc.ca.
³ Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Forestry & Conservation Science, University of British Columbia, BC, Canada. Electronic address: alex.moore@ubc.ca.
⁴ Department of Evolution & Ecology, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
⁵ Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California - Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
⁶ Humanities Department, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI, USA.
⁷ Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
⁸ Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁹ Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Forestry & Conservation Science, University of British Columbia, BC, Canada.
¹¹ Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA.
¹² Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
¹³ Department of Biological Sciences, California State University San Marcos, San Marcos, CA, USA.
¹⁴ Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, MA, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California - Davis, Davis, CA, USA. Electronic address: justinesmith@ucdavis.edu.

PMID: 36754709
DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.12.011

Abstract

Amid a growing disciplinary commitment to inclusion in ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB), it is critical to consider how the use of scientific language can harm members of our research community. Here, we outline a path for identifying and revising harmful terminology to foster inclusion in EEB.

Keywords: DEI; community; etymology; inclusion; language; scientific terminology.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
Ecology*
Terminology as Topic*