Organismal, population, evolutionary and ecological systems is a research area that investigates biological organization and processes from the level of individual organisms to interacting populations and communities, integrating mechanisms of evolution and ecological dynamics. It encompasses studies of organismal physiology, behavior and life histories; population structure, demography and genetics; evolutionary processes such as selection, drift, gene flow and speciation; and ecological interactions including competition, predation, mutualism and ecosystem functioning. This area emphasizes quantitative, often model-based approaches to understanding how traits, genes, environments and interactions shape biodiversity patterns, adaptive change and the stability and resilience of biological systems across spatial and temporal scales.
Termites are among the most successful animals on Earth, forming vast societies that can number in the millions. But how did such complex social systems evolve from solitary ancestors that looked much like today's cockroaches?
Evolution
Jan 29, 2026
0
15
A great white shark is a masterwork of evolutionary engineering. These beautiful predators glide effortlessly through the water, each slow, deliberate sweep of the powerful tail driving a body specialized for stealth, speed ...
Evolution
Jan 28, 2026
0
43
A new study from Bar-Ilan University shows that one of sleep's core functions originated hundreds of millions of years ago in jellyfish and sea anemones, among the earliest creatures with nervous systems. By tracing this ...
Evolution
Jan 6, 2026
0
97
From claims that vaccines don't work to manipulated images and deliberately misrepresenting what politicians say, social media is often rife with misinformation. But far from being a recent phenomenon, there is nothing new ...
What is the evolutionary advantage of our consciousness? And what can we learn about this from observing birds? Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum published two articles on this topic.
Evolution
Nov 24, 2025
6
284
A research team including a scientist from the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) at the Institute of Science, Tokyo, Japan, has identified a novel principle in biology that mathematically explains why the growth of organisms ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 11, 2025
0
95
From dogs and cats to dairy cows and sea turtles, animals around the world are suffering from various cancers, obesity, diabetes, and degenerative joint disease. Understanding the forces driving an increase in these non-communicable ...
Ecology
Nov 11, 2025
0
1
Beyond spirited dinner party debate, establishing which creatures have consciousness matters in terms of animal welfare and conservation policy. A Michigan State University philosophy scholar has added clarity to a messy ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 9, 2025
2
102
Population bottlenecks caused by stark population loss due to illness or habitat destruction caused mammals' disease immunity to decline, according to a new study led by computational biologists in the Penn State School of ...
Evolution
Sep 30, 2025
0
0
What is the meaning of life? Even the best of us couldn't hope to answer that question in a Universe Today article. But there are those who would try to "constrain" it, at least in terms of physics. A new paper from Pankaj ...
Astronomy
Sep 24, 2025
2
28
