News and Opinion - British Ecological Society

New knowledge on how climate affects pendulous lichens in northern forests

Research from Umeå University explains how traits in pale lichens allow them to thrive in wet climates.

Better health – for people and the planet – grows on trees

Tropical fruit trees can improve health, reduce hunger, boost incomes and fight climate change. So why don’t we grow and eat more?

Mountain gorillas are good neighbours – up to a point

Mountain gorilla groups are friendly to familiar neighbours – provided they stay out of "core" parts of their territory – new research shows.

Most migratory birds rely on a greening world

A first of its kind study finds that many North American migratory birds synchronize their migratory movements with seasonal changes in vegetation greenness.

Bumblebee queens migrate for hundreds of kilometres

New research shows that bumblebee queens don’t always remain in the same place, but cover distances up to hundreds of kilometres.

Vanilla cultivation under trees promotes pest regulation

Researchers have used dummy prey to investigate the activity of natural pest predators in Madagascan vanilla plantations, finding this pest control to be advantageous for agricultural cultivation.

A new lens on an old problem: changing data resolution provides new insights for alien species management

In a new study, researchers from SANParks and the Centre for Invasion Biology demonstrate how changing the resolution of data used in alien species management can revolutionize how we manage them.

Early-arriving endangered Chinook salmon take the brunt of sea lion predation on the Columbia

A University of Washington and NOAA Fisheries study has found that recovering sea lion populations have the largest negative effect on early-arriving endangered Chinook salmon in the lower Columbia River.

Australian carp virus plan 'dead in the water'

Plans to release a virus to reduce numbers of invasive Common Carp in Australia are unlikely to work and should be dropped, researchers say.

How top predators and fisheries can survive on the same prey

New research determines the amount of prey required for marine top predators to thrive, improving fisheries management.

Crayfish ‘trapping’ fails to control invasive species

Despite being championed by a host of celebrity chefs, crayfish ‘trapping’ is not helping to control invasive American signal crayfish, according to new research by UCL and King’s College London.

Researchers predict refuges from the disease myrtle rust

Geographical refuges could protect New Zealand’s iconic native myrtle plants from myrtle rust disease, according to research published in Journal of Applied Ecology.

Ants adapt tool use to avoid drowning

Researchers have observed black imported fire ants using sand to draw liquid food out of containers, when faced with the risk of drowning. This is the first time this sophisticated tool use has been reported in animals.

Pollinator monitoring more than pays for itself

Monitoring schemes to count bees and other pollinating insects provide excellent value for money, and could help save species and protect UK food security, researchers have found.

Caught on tape: UF wildlife researchers repurpose listening device to track poaching

Acoustic monitoring technologies can detect far more hunting in protected forests than cameras are able to, according to research by the University of Florida.