William Dwight Billings (December 29, 1910 â January 4, 1997) was an American ecologist. He was one of the foundational figures in the field of plant physiological ecology and made major contributions to desert and arctic/alpine ecology.
Billings served as president of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) from 1978 to 1979. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1979. In 1962, ESA granted him the Mercer Award, for an outstanding research paper by a researcher under the age of 40; ESA also awarded the Eminent Ecologist Award in 1991.
His advisees include Robin B. Foster.