Ecology is a branch of biological and environmental sciences that investigates the distribution, abundance, and dynamics of organisms in relation to each other and to their physical and chemical environments. It encompasses hierarchical levels of organization, including populations, communities, ecosystems, landscapes, and the biosphere. Ecological research examines flows of energy and cycles of matter, species interactions (such as predation, competition, and mutualism), and responses to abiotic factors like climate, nutrients, and disturbance. Quantitative ecological models and empirical studies are used to understand patterns of biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and the resilience and stability of ecological systems.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln's S. Kathleen Lyons is providing a new framework—Earth system engineering—for examining how organisms, including humans, have fundamentally altered ecosystems on a global scale across hundreds, ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 23, 2025
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One of the great challenges of ecology is to understand the factors that maintain, or undermine, diversity in ecosystems, researchers write in a new report in the journal Science. The researchers detail their development ...
Ecology
Sep 18, 2025
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Artificial intelligence (AI) is opening new ground in ecology. At Rice University, César A. Uribe is developing computational tools to help scientists better understand ecosystems with recent studies using AI to glean new ...
Ecology
Sep 18, 2025
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Natural ecosystems are intricate webs where species can interact directly, like predators and prey, or influence one another through a chain of environmental effects. But can these indirect interactions be powerful enough ...
Evolution
Aug 27, 2025
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145
In the first long-term, community-level field study of wild bumble bee nutrition, a team of ecologists led by Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden discovered that wild bees aren't just flitting from flower ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 26, 2025
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56
A new critical review, published in the journal CABI Agriculture and Bioscience, highlights the emergence and scientific basis of regenerative agriculture—proposing a working definition centered on ecological cycles and farm ...
Ecology
Aug 21, 2025
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157
To help manage agricultural practices with fewer or no pesticides, University of Michigan researchers say they need to understand how ecological systems work on agricultural lands.
Ecology
Aug 11, 2025
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71
A new article in Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology examines how the immune system and reproduction interact in female mammals, especially during pregnancy, from mating to birth.
Plants & Animals
Aug 5, 2025
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21
As Australia's transition to renewable energy accelerates with increased momentum, the wind energy industry must be guided by strong ecological evidence to avoid unintended harm to wildlife, according to new research from ...
Ecology
Jul 7, 2025
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The downstream consequences of religion, politics and war can have far-reaching effects on the environment and on the evolutionary processes affecting urban organisms, according to a new analysis from Washington University ...
Evolution
Jul 2, 2025
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