Press releases
Press releases are posted on the British Ecological Society web pages only after any embargo period has passed. Journalists can access embargoed BES press releases at AlphaGalileo or by contacting Becky Allen, BES Press Officer.
Recent press releases
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Lost in translocation? How bird song could help save species
Translocation – or moving animals to safer places – is a vital tool for saving species from extinction. Many factors influence the success of these new populations, including habitat quality, predators, capture and release techniques, the number and sex of individuals, and their genetic diversity. Now new research, the first of its kind, published in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Applied Ecology suggests bird song could also be important.
Friday 17 May 2013
Have aliens landed in your garden?
Plants that could land you in court if they escape from your garden, hybrids notorious for sparking disputes between neighbours, and species we didn’t know existed 100 years ago all form part of the British Ecological Society (BES) exhibit at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Monday 13 May 2013
Land management options outlined to address cheatgrass invasion
A new study suggests that overgrazing and other factors increase the severity of cheatgrass invasion in sagebrush steppe, one of North America’s most endangered ecosystems. The research found that overgrazed land loses the mechanisms that can resist invasion. This includes degradation of once-abundant native bunchgrasses and trampling that disturbs biological soil crusts. The work was published today in the Journal of Applied Ecology by researchers from Oregon State University, Augustana College and the U.S. Geological Survey.
Friday 10 May 2013
Kestrels stressed by human activity
American kestrels, small colorful falcons often seen perched along roadways, are abundant in urban and agricultural areas. Shorter grass makes insects, snakes, mice and other prey more visible, and signposts, fences and telephone poles provide excellent perches. However a new study from scientists at Boise State University in Idaho, published in Journal of Applied Ecology, shows that even species considered “tolerant” of human activity may be adversely impacted by human disturbance; Kestrels nesting in close proximity to roads and developed areas had elevated stress hormones and high rates of nest abandonment. The apparently favorable location, then, becomes an ecological trap.
Wednesday 1 May 2013
‘Dirty dozen’ invasive species threaten UK.
Parts of the UK are at greater risk of invasion by non-native aquatic species than previously thought, according to new research. The first to include human factors in models used to predict where invasive species will arrive and spread, the study shows the Thames, Anglian and Humber river basins are most vulnerable. The findings, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, should help improve control of invasive species in the UK
Tuesday 30 April 2013
Caribou the missing piece of arctic warming puzzle.
In the first study of its type in Canada, new research, published in Journal of Ecology, has shown caribou have a role to play in climate warming in the arctic. Despite declining herd numbers, caribou grazing is controlling plant growth in the arctic and reducing the effect of global warming.
Friday 22 March 2013
Seabirds need effective marine conservation in wake of discard ban, warns study
Conservationists have renewed urgent calls for effective marine protection in European waters, after a new study, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, revealed that the recent EU ban on fish discards could have a significant short-term impact on some seabirds.
Wednesday 20th March 2013
Some Alaskan trout use flexible guts for the ultimate binge diet
Certain animals in the laboratory are known to grow and shrink their digestive tract in response to gorging on food, but researchers at the University of Washington have for the first time documented a wild fish, Dolly Varden, a kind of trout, doing just this in Alaska’s Chignik Lake watershed where long, cold winters make food scarce. The results are published in Journal of Animal Ecology.
Wednesday 20th March 2013
For polar bears, it’s survival of the fattest
One of the most southerly populations of polar bears in the world – and the best studied – is struggling to cope with climate-induced changes to sea ice, new research reveals. Based on over 10 years’ data the study, published in Journal of Animal Ecology, sheds new light on how sea ice conditions drive polar bears’ annual migration on and off the ice.
Wednesday 13th March 2013
Marine diversity study proves value of citizen science
Citizen science surveys compare well with traditional scientific methods when it comes to monitoring species biodiversity – according to new research from the University of East Anglia. Research published today in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution shows that methods to record marine diversity used by amateurs returned results consistent with techniques favoured by peer-reviewed science.
Wednesday 13 February 2013
Humans and koalas see success differently
One of the guiding principles of rehabilitating disturbed landscapes and mine sites – that if you restore their plant diversity, the animals that once lived there will return – does not always hold true, a landmark Australian study published in Journal of Applied Ecology has found.