James H. Brown is Distinguished Professor of Biology at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. On a practical level, Brown is known for his long-term experimental studies looking at microscale ecological relationships in the Chihuahuan Desert. On a theoretical level, he is challenging some of the underpinnings of conservation on island-like habitats. In 2001, he was awarded the Ecological Society of America's Eugene P. Odum Award for his work in education. His coauthor and former graduate student, Dov F. Sax, is an assistant professor at the University of Georgia's Institute for Ecology. Sax's current research focuses on how exotic species change patterns of biodiversity at different scales.