A Tale of Two Biologies: Distinctions in Philosophy and Practice between Organismal and Sub-Organismal Science

While the 21st century has been proclaimed as the age of biology, the disciplines of sub-organismal biology have received greater attention, often at a cost to organismal biology. However, the fields of organismal biology – ecology and evolution – are not only fundamental to biology, but are of societal importance in terms of their application in environmental conservation, sustainability and public health. We argue here that organismal and sub-organismal biology differ substantially in their philosophy and practice: while organismal biology focuses on systems and collectives, sub-organismal biology rests on reductionism. Further, we emphasize that these distinctions must be recognized in institutional and funding structures for organismal biology to fully realize its potential.