Capturing Ecology 2024

A bearded dragon basking under the hot Canberra sun, Arctic terns sharing a sand eel, and a flowering plant displaying a living timelapse are among the winners of our annual photography competition, Capturing Ecology.

This year’s winners, taken by international ecologists, photographers and students, celebrate the diversity of ecology, capturing flora and fauna from across the globe, spanning 23 countries and 6 continents.

2024 marks the first year that the competition has been open to everyone and to make it truly accessible, entries were free for those in Global South countries. Members of Plantlife could also enter the Individuals and Populations (Plants and Fungi) category for free.

The overall winner is The Dragon and the Sun by Damien Esquerre, a biologist at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Damien captured this basking bearded dragon under the hot Canberra sun in its eucalyptus woodland habitat while on a walk.

Damien said: “It is a massive honour to win this important competition and I’m very happy to have my photo showcased to an international audience.”

The overall runner-up is Lanterns by Danni Thompson, a PhD candidate at the University of Aberdeen. Taken during a walk through the high-altitude forest in Ecuador, Danni spent time photographing the light streaming through the flowers. The winning shot features a perfectly arched branch of Abutilon megapotamicum, showcasing flowers at all stages of bloom.

Take a closer look at winning and highly commended images and in the gallery below. Use the arrows on the lower right hand side, just under the image, to navigate through the gallery.

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Professor Bridget Emmett, President of the British Ecological Society, said: “The British Ecological Society is a truly global community, so it brings me great joy to see ecosystems from across the world celebrated in this year’s Capturing Ecology. 2024’s winners showcase the breadth and beauty of biodiversity – spanning Sumatra to Switzerland, and from the Red Sea to The Skerries – all captured through the ever-questioning lens of the ecologist.”

Meg Griffiths, Conservation Officer – Species Recovery at Plantlife and Competition Judge said: “This year’s Capturing Ecology showcases the sheer diversity of the natural world, and the incredible multitude of niches that plants and fungi can occupy. These groups are the foundation of life, and by shining a light on them through photography, we not only celebrate their beauty but also raise awareness of how integral these organisms are to people and planet.

“Nature’s geometry, vertiginous canopies, clandestine magic, fluorescing lichens and plant-animal interactions were all so well observed and captured within the gallery. The winning images all make me think about scale, and the dizzying complexity and intricacy of forms in nature.”

Full list of winners

Overall Winner

Damien Esquerre, University of Wollongong

The Dragon and the Sun: This photo was captured on a sunny summer day in Canberra. Bearded dragons (Pogona barbata) love to bask under the sun in their eucalypt woodland habitat. I used fish-eye lens to capture the habitat and the sun in the composition to have a detailed portrayal of the lizards ecology.

Overall Runner Up

Danni Thompson, University of Aberdeen

Lanterns: During a walk through the forest, I came across a beautiful flowering shrub (Abutilon megapotamicum) at the edge. I spent some time photographing the light coming through the flowers and then saw this perfectly arced branch displaying flowers at all ages. It was a composition I couldn’t resist snapping.

Individuals and Populations (Animals)

A unique look at a species in its environment, either alone or as a population.

Winner: Filip Jarzynski, affiliation, The University of Edinburgh

The Glass Ceiling: A Signal Crayfish photographed at an abandoned trout farm building on a freezing New Year’s Eve. This invasive species has been breeding at the site for several years, threatening local populations of native crayfish by carrying crayfish plague and outcompeting them for food and habitat.

Individuals and Populations (Plants and Fungi)

Showcasing the power of plants or the fascination of fungi, with a focus on one species. This category is run in collaboration with Plantlife.

Winner: Jenn Rose, affiliation, Basque Centre for Climate Change

Early morning thaw: Here, a bundle of fruiting bodies stand frozen after experiencing sub temperatures from a typical Danish November night. With its older trees and urban vegetation sprawled throughout the streets, it is common to spot several species of fungi walking around, like this one located right at the entrance of the University of Copenhagen in Frederiksberg.

Networks in Nature

Demonstrating the relationships within an ecosystem or community.

Winner: Roberto García-Roa, Department of Biology, Lund University

The hunter becomes hunted: The frenetic combat between the pompilid wasp and the spider suddenly stopped. A tense calm invaded the scene: “the calm after the storm”, I thought. At that point, a subtle but crucial behaviour for both contenders had begun. The wasp needed to confirm if its sting had paralyzed its dangerous prey before bringing it to her nest. Wasps of the family Pompilidae are called “spider wasps” because females are sophisticated hunters of spiders, which are used as a living food by their offspring. An arm race between two groups of iconic hunters in the tropical forests of Peru.

Student Winner: Filip Jarzynski, The University of Edinburgh

Fisheye perspective: The photo shows a male Arctic Tern (right) providing a Sand eel to an incubating female (left). To emphasise the importance of the fish, only its head is in focus. The relationship between Arctic Terns and Sand eels is incredibly close. As part of my work as a warden at the RSPB reserve on the Skerries Islands, I have been monitoring which species of fish the Arctic terns bring in from the sea. The data is collected every season and can give a deep insight into the state of fish stocks. This season, the tern’s main food source were Sand eels, but later on they switched to fish from the Clupeidae family.

People and Nature

An interesting and original take on the relationships between people and nature.

Winner: Roberto García-Roa, Department of Biology, Lund University

A soul: It is shown here one of the “teenagers” of the critically endangered western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) that the Chimpanzee Conservation Center have rescued from poachers in the Republic of Guinea. This is the only organization worldwide with a current release project of western chimpanzees into the wild. Nevertheless, this program is in danger because suitable habitats where to release chimpanzees in nature are rapidly disappearing. Sadly, young individuals like the one in the image – his name is Simon – wait in captivity for a future where, if the trend does not change, they will have very difficult to know freedom again. 2022.

Student winner: Ryan Wagner, Washington State University

Dogpile: A pile of a dozen deceased coyotes at a hunting contest in northcentral Ohio. Hunting teams with crude names like “Dirty Dawgs,” “Yoter Toter,” and “Doggy Style,” spend three days shooting as many coyotes as they can. Over 150 coyotes are harvested for this competition, one of dozens like it throughout the state. Teams receive awards for the heaviest coyote and the most kills. The atmosphere is jubilant, almost giddy, like a family cookout after church. Following awards, teams have been known to illegally dump their kills on the side of the highway. No part of the coyotes is used.

Ecologists in Action

Showcasing the practice of ecology in action

Student winner: Viktor Peinemann, KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)

A final survey: A researcher surveys a severely bleached reef flat in the central Red Sea. All corals shown in the photo (Porites sp., Acropora spp.) are fully bleached. As the central Red Sea experienced record temperatures on 2023, a severe bleaching event unfolded, leading to the death of the majority of shallow corals like those shown in this photo. Many central Red Sea reefs today are unrecognizable, even compared to one year ago.

Regenerative Agriculture

Photos displaying what the future of agriculture look like and ways of working with land to provide for both people and nature.

Winner: Lindsay Banin, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Edinburgh

Fruit trees for future forests: Village communities in Bengkulu are enhancing cover of selected multi-purpose tree species in previously cleared areas, to provide ecosystem service benefits, such as carbon storage and reduced soil erosion, whilst also providing socio-economic benefits to the community. The picture shows an impromptu harvest of some rambutan fruits to accompany our lunch and visit of their social forestry area. In the long-term, the hope is this will support the conservation and restoration of native forest remnants by supporting multiple income streams and improving ecosystem health and function.

Student Winner: Juliet Turner, University of Oxford

A Hay Meadow in the Swiss Alps: A biodiverse meadow is a beautiful sight, but the UK has lost 97% of its wildflower meadows since the 1930s. Overgrazing and excessive fertilisation degrade the ecosystem. In Switzerland, this meadow is cut only once a year for hay, giving the plants time to flower and spread their seeds.

Capturing Ecology sponsors

This year, the British Ecological Society has partnered with Ripple Energy. Ripple is on a mission to make clean energy ownership affordable and accessible for everyone, everywhere and we’re proud to be working with them.