News and Opinion - British Ecological Society

Soil moisture matters, even in tropical rainforests

Growth rates shape species distributions of tropical tree seedlings on a soil moisture gradient.

Sequencing pollen DNA to discover insect migratory routes

This British Ecological Society funded study shows that transcontinental pollination mediated by migrating insects is possible.

New research shows pretend porpoise sounds are helping conservation efforts

Playing back porpoise sounds to an acoustic logger can be used to assess the detection area of the device.

Ice cave reveals environmental forcing of long-term Pyrenean treeline dynamics

Subalpine forests were generally more widely distributed during the last 5700 years, when summer temperatures were warmer than today.

Scottish Government consultation: Forestry Strategy 2019-2029

Help the BES-Scottish Policy Group respond to Scotland's Forestry Strategy.

Maximizing the carbon and biodiversity benefits of restoration along rivers and streams

Forests store tremendous amounts of carbon in the trees and soil, and they can provide valuable habitat for wildlife.

Scientists take to Twitter to study flying ants, starling murmurations and house spiders

The retrospective analysis of social media has been used widely to detect earthquakes or political sentiment, but not so much in ecological research.

Study uses herbarium samples to understand link between climate change and insect herbivory

A new Journal of Ecology study used herbarium specimens to track insect herbivory across more than a century.

Predicting forest areas with potential of natural regeneration

Prioritizing natural regeneration of Brazilian forest areas.

New study reveals reasons for huge decline of rare seabird

Lack of food drives loss of Arctic skuas

Mangrove expansion and climatic warming may help coastal ecosystems keep pace with sea level rise

Biologists have documented that coastal wetlands in the southeastern United States are responding positively to rising temperatures.

Frequent fires make droughts harder for young trees, even in wet eastern forests

New research published in Functional Ecology focuses on the combined effects of fire and drought on white oak seedlings.

A mathematical method to understand and explore the niche of species

The new method published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution translates the original ideas of the Anglo-American ecologist G. Evelyn Hutchinson (1903-1991) into simple mathematical terms.

Kelp forests function differently in warming ocean

Kelp forests in the UK awill experience a marked change in ecosystem functioning in response to continued ocean warming.

Exotic pets that grow large and are cheap to purchase are more often released by owners

Large pet reptiles and amphibians that are sold small and cheaply are more likely to be released into the wild.