Ecology

Ecology is the study of the interactions between organisms and their environments at multiple scales, from individual physiology to global biogeochemical cycles. This field integrates observational, experimental and modelling approaches to decipher how species distributions, biodiversity patterns and ecosystem processes are regulated by both biotic interactions—such as competition, predation, mutualism—and abiotic factors including climate, soil and water dynamics. Recent ecological research has increasingly focused on cross‐scale dynamics, revealing that small-scale physiological responses can aggregate to affect whole ecosystems, and that contemporary environmental change is reshaping long‐established ecological patterns. These insights are not only fundamental to understanding the past and present organisation of life on Earth but also crucial for predicting and managing future ecosystem responses amidst anthropogenic stresses.

Research in Nature Index

Recent studies reflect the dynamic challenges facing ecosystems worldwide. In marine systems, researchers have underscored how overfishing and the international trade in shark products are contributing to irreversible declines in populations of deepwater sharks and rays, highlighting the urgent need for stronger fishing regulations and improved conservation frameworks [1]. Meanwhile, terrestrial ecology research has revealed that inland wetlands—crucial for carbon storage and biodiversity—continue to be lost at a worrying rate, driven primarily by conversion to agricultural land [2]. In parallel, investigations in microbial ecology demonstrate how novel mobile genetic elements found in abundant marine microbes shape oceanic productivity and facilitate microbial adaptation in changing environments [3].

On land, the concept of carbon sequestration continues to be a major direction of enquiry, with evidence showing that tropical forests in Africa still serve as a significant carbon sink, though future saturation of these forests may rapidly reduce their capacity in the face of intensifying climate and land-use pressures [4]. Together, such findings show that ecological systems are not merely collections of species but highly interconnected networks; disruptions in one component can propagate throughout ecosystems.

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Technical terms

Trophic level: A position in the food web determined by an organism’s source of energy (e.g. producer, herbivore, carnivore).
Defaunation: The declining abundance of animals from ecological communities, often through direct exploitation or habitat loss.
Microbial genetic elements: DNA segments found in microorganisms that can transfer between cells, influencing adaptability and diversity.
Carbon sink: A natural system, such as a forest or soil, that absorbs more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it releases.

References

1. Fishing for oil and meat drives irreversible defaunation of deepwater sharks and rays. Science (2024).
2. Extensive global wetland loss over the past three centuries. Nature (2023).
3. Novel integrative elements and genomic plasticity in ocean ecosystems. Cell (2023).
4. Asynchronous carbon sink saturation in African and Amazonian tropical forests. Nature (2020).

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