‘Why Ecosystems Matter’ Authored by Biological Sciences Professor Wins Book of the Year

His book describing ecosystem insights from across the globe, “Why Ecosystems Matter, Preserving the Key to Our Survival,” (Oxford University Press, 2025) has been honored with the 2025 Marsh Book of the Year Award from the British Ecological Society.

The award recognizes the contributions of book authors to the field of ecology. “Books can have a major impact in ecology but academic book publishing brings relatively little financial reward to authors,” noted the British Ecological Society in its announcement. “This award aims to acknowledge the important role that books have on ecology and its development.”

Wills and other British Ecological Society award winners will be honored during the society’s annual meeting that starts on Dec. 15 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The meeting brings together more than 1,000 scientists and features the latest advances in ecological research.

“Even though my background has been in evolutionary biology and population genetics, I am delighted that experts in the important areas of field and ecosystem ecology seem to think I have something interesting to say,” said Wills about the award. “Science advances quickly when scientists in separate fields discover ways to work together.”

In “Why Ecosystems Matter,” Wills takes the reader through examples from locations around the world of how complex ecosystems evolve. He describes recent genetic research that enables scientists to measure the evolutionary drivers of ecosystems. He also shows how these techniques can be used to protect and repair ecosystems.

In 2021, Wills led a study on the health of ecosystems in regions around the globe. The study probed questions related to species interactions and how diversity contributes to the preservation of ecosystem health. Integrating data collected by hundreds of scientists and students over decades in Panama, China, Sri Lanka, Puerto Rico and other study locations — many in remote, inaccessible areas — the study is believed to be the most detailed of its kind. The research addressed large questions about complex ecosystems — made up of trees, animals, insects and even bacteria and viruses — and how such stunning diversity is maintained to support the health of the ecosystem.

“Observational and experimental evidence shows that all ecosystems are characterized by strong interactions between and among their many species,” said Wills. “These webs of interactions can be important contributors to the preservation of ecosystem diversity.” The study was part of a plan to tease out specific influences that are essential to ecosystem health.

“We want to show how we can maintain the diversity of the planet at the same time as we are preserving ecosystems that will aid our own survival,” said Wills.