News and Opinion - British Ecological Society

Managing agricultural biodiversity takes time

A three-year research project shows how functional traits drive pollinator and predator responses to semi-natural grassland strips embedded in agricultural landscapes.

Tree species diversity is no protection against bark beetle infestation

Ecologist from Freiburg investigates pest infestation in forests with mixed and monoculture tree stands.

Lack of prey reduces breeding success in puffin populations

New research finds that a lack of prey around breeding colonies in the northeast Atlantic is leading to puffin population declines.

Changes in ecosystem properties after postfire management strategies in wildfire affected Mediterranean forests

New research into Mediterranean forest fires finds that postfire management treatments can be effective in promoting multifunctionality and plant diversity.

Climate warming linked to tree leaf unfolding and flowering growing apart

Climate warming is linked to a widening interval between leaf unfolding and flowering in European trees.

More frequent and extreme marine heatwaves likely to threaten starfish

Common starfish cannot survive amplified marine heatwaves projected at the end of the century and experience lasting negative effects from current heatwaves, according to new research.

Saving your data together helps bird research

Researchers publish the first scientific paper from the SPI-Birds network, a large‐scale initiative connecting data on wild populations of birds.

New knowledge on how climate affects pendulous lichens in northern forests

Research from Umeå University explains how traits in pale lichens allow them to thrive in wet climates.

Bumblebee queens migrate for hundreds of kilometres

New research shows that bumblebee queens don’t always remain in the same place, but cover distances up to hundreds of kilometres.

How top predators and fisheries can survive on the same prey

New research determines the amount of prey required for marine top predators to thrive, improving fisheries management.

Crayfish ‘trapping’ fails to control invasive species

Despite being championed by a host of celebrity chefs, crayfish ‘trapping’ is not helping to control invasive American signal crayfish, according to new research by UCL and King’s College London.

Debate needed on the potential culling of generalist predators such as crows and foxes to protect Europe's declining ground-nesting birds

Further studies and debate are needed on the potential culling of generalist predators such as crows and foxes as a means of protecting Europe's ever declining number of ground-nesting birds.

Wild bees depend on the landscape structure

A Research team led by University of Göttingen finds flower strips, organic farming and small crop fields combine to encourage bees and hoverflies.

Lack of insects in cities limits breeding success of urban birds

Urban insect populations would need to increase by a factor of at least 2.5 for urban great tits to have same breeding success as those living in forests.

How does an increase in nitrogen application affect grasslands?

Researchers at the University of Bern share the first results of the largest biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiment in Switzerland