The Agency for International Development supports research on the Department of State 

 ecology and behavior of various organisms to serve as the basis for 

 developing operational programs to control predators (e.g., the 

 vampire bat), animal and disease vectors, and nuisance vegetation. 



Ecological studies are conducted to increase the biological production 

 capabilities of food and fiber in developing countries through manage- 

 ment of the environment (e.g., irrigation, fertilization) and organisms 

 (e.g., rotation, grazing, disease control, population regulation). 



The ecological research funds expended in various Federal agencies 3 Funding Levels 



are shown in Table 5. The major increases in funding from FY 1971 to 



FY 1973 have been in the Department of Commerce, National Science 



Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, Corps of Engineers, 



Smithsonian Institution, and the National Aeronautics and Space 



Administration. The Department of Defense and Department of 



Transportation have also initiated modest programs. 



TABLE 5. ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH FUNDS 

 IN VARIOUS FEDERAL AGENCIES 



The following summary narrative descriptions of Federal ecological 

 research programs are organized under the important national 

 problem areas requiring ecological research as shown in the vertical 

 axes of Tables 1-3: 1. Effects of Environmental Changes, II. Problems 

 of Evaluating Whole Ecosystems, III. Problems Associated with 

 Regulating Organisms, IV. Problems Arising from Activities of Man, 

 V. Development of Ecological Research. The funding level of each 

 Federal agency program is shown for Fiscal Years 1971, 1972, and 

 1973. The funds are shown as millions of dollars to two decimal places. 



Ecological Research 

 Programs by 

 Problem Areas 



43 



