Forests undergoing novel disturbances: understanding and managing the complex new reality of forests

Considering the vast impacts disturbances such as fire and insect outbreaks are having on forests worldwide, Alexandro B. Leverkus and Simon Thorn bring together a selection of work showcasing quality research into these disturbances and strategies being taken to manage them.

This Virtual Issue features articles from across the British Ecological Society journals that are free-to-read for a limited time. Continue reading Forests undergoing novel disturbances: understanding and managing the complex new reality of forests

Brazil ecology: the editors’ perspective

Associate Editors, Rafael D. Zenni, Tadeu Siqueira and Ricardo Solar provide insights into their nominated papers for our recent Ecology in Brazil Virtual Issue. A version of this post is available in Portuguese here. Brazilian ecological science has grown immensely in the past few decades, with flourishing graduate courses across the country dedicated to the topic and an increasing number of researchers focused on understanding … Continue reading Brazil ecology: the editors’ perspective

Recognising and supporting Brazilian ecological science in uncertain times

Incoming Executive Editor, Jos Barlow, introduces this collection of articles that celebrates ecological research in Brazil. All articles in this Virtual Issue are free to read for a limited time. Read this post in Portuguese here. This Virtual Issue celebrates over 70 years of Brazil-based or Brazil-led research in British Ecological Society (BES) journals. Although the first manuscript led by a Brazil-based scientist was published … Continue reading Recognising and supporting Brazilian ecological science in uncertain times

Ensuring sustainable açaí fruit production in the Amazon river delta

With açaí fruit becoming increasingly popular, it is important to understand how farming management practices are affecting vital pollination services. Associate Editor, Ainhoa Magrach comments on the recent article, Anthropogenic disturbance of tropical forests threatens pollination services to açaí palm in the Amazon river delta by Campbell et al. Worldwide the demand for the berries of the açaí palm is increasing. These anti-oxidant rich foods have … Continue reading Ensuring sustainable açaí fruit production in the Amazon river delta

Is environmental legislation conserving tropical stream faunas?

Looking beyond the trees in tropical forest landscapes, Cecília Leal comments on recent article, Is environmental legislation conserving tropical stream faunas? A large-scale assessment of local, riparian and catchment-scale influences on Amazonian fish. What comes to your mind when you think about the Amazon River Basin? Large rivers, giant fish, impacts from big hydroelectric projects? Our new article in Journal of Applied Ecology calls attention to … Continue reading Is environmental legislation conserving tropical stream faunas?

Forest loss impacts fish diversity in the Amazon floodplain

Today’s post discusses the wider impacts of forest loss and comes from the team behind the recent article, Relationships between forest cover and fish diversity in the Amazon River floodplain. In the Amazon and most other major tropical regions, large forested areas are being cleared for development of agriculture, hydropower and human settlements. Floodplain forests provide key habitats and food resources for fish, including several … Continue reading Forest loss impacts fish diversity in the Amazon floodplain

Remote cameras help ecologists understand community-level responses

In this post, Paul Lukacs discusses a paper he recently handled by Mathias Tobler and colleagues “Spatiotemporal hierarchical modelling of species richness and occupancy using camera trap data” Flipping through the pages (or scrolling through the links) of almost any applied ecological journal, you might begin to think that there is a remote camera placed in almost every patch of forest or on every fencepost. … Continue reading Remote cameras help ecologists understand community-level responses