ecology papers | Gist.Science

Ecology explores the intricate relationships between living organisms and their environments, revealing how life adapts, interacts, and sustains itself across the planet. From microscopic soil communities to vast migratory patterns, this field examines the delicate balance that keeps ecosystems functioning and resilient. Understanding these connections is vital for addressing urgent challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss.

At Gist.Science, we make the latest research from bioRxiv accessible to everyone. We process every new preprint in this category as it appears, offering both clear plain-language explanations and detailed technical summaries to suit every reader. This approach ensures that groundbreaking findings in ecological science are not locked behind complex terminology but are available for immediate understanding and discussion.

Below are the latest papers in ecology, curated to help you stay informed about the evolving story of life on Earth.

🌿 ecology

Navigating the salinity gradient: Individual variation in habitat use and migration of European eel revealed by otolith microchemistry

By analyzing otolith microchemistry from over 3,600 European eels, this study reveals high individual variation in habitat use along a salinity gradient, identifying distinct life-history strategies including coastal residency and migration, which underscores the critical need to incorporate coastal habitats into conservation and population management efforts for this critically endangered species.

Jacobson, P., Spotowitz, L., Heimbrand, Y., Myrenas, E., Gemert, R. v., Sundin, J.2026-06-25

🌿 ecology

Intra-African Geographic Domain Shift in Wildlife Camera Trap Species Classification: A Comparative Study of Supervised and Zero-Shot Foundation Models

This study presents the first systematic evaluation of intra-African geographic domain shift in wildlife camera trap classification by comparing supervised, retrieval-based, and zero-shot foundation models across diverse Southern African datasets to provide practical guidance for deploying conservation AI without new labelled data.

Nanduri, N., Ogundare, J., Anderson, G.2026-06-25

🌿 ecology

The effects of fox movement and landscape heterogeneity on the spread of sarcoptic mange in urban settings

This study utilizes an agent-based model to demonstrate that red fox mange transmission in urban landscapes is accelerated by landscape heterogeneity and movement corridors, particularly when infected and susceptible foxes exhibit similar movement probabilities through fragmented habitats.

Dimitrov, N., Gelmi-Candusso, T. A., Krkosek, M., Fortin, M.-J.2026-06-25

🌿 ecology

The MosAICo ecosystem: bridging the taxonomic gap in vector surveillance with real-time entomological artificial intelligence

The MosAICo ecosystem is an AI-powered, standardized hardware-software pipeline that overcomes the taxonomic bottleneck in mosquito surveillance by achieving high-accuracy, real-time automated identification of priority vector species while effectively flagging unknown specimens for expert review, thereby scaling national and cross-border disease monitoring efforts.

Sarleti, N., Tubito, A., Severini, F., Dante, V., Ciardiello, A., Silvestrini, F., Bonizzoni, M., Afrane, Y., MosAIco Wo (…)2026-06-23

🌿 ecology

Multiscale active transport driven by gravitactic bioconvection promotes resilience in algal blooms

This study reveals that the phytoplankton *Heterosigma akashiwo* sustains algal blooms under resource-limited conditions by leveraging high cell densities to trigger bioconvection, a self-generated active flow that facilitates multiscale transport, restores metabolic function, and mitigates ecological stress.

Mishra, S., Dhar, J., Sengupta, A.2026-06-23

🌿 ecology

A mathematical model for the efficient control of the New World screwworm

This paper proposes a mathematical model combined with a feedback control strategy and a Luenberger observer to optimize the release of sterile male New World screwworms, demonstrating that eradication of the pest in Mexico is achievable within 60–100 weeks through targeted releases within a 120 km radius.

Reyes, R., Barrio, R. A.2026-06-23

🌿 ecology

Microbial succession in West African secondary forests: rapid internal stabilisation without convergence toward old-growth reference states

This study of West African secondary forests reveals that while soil bacterial and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities rapidly reorganize and stabilize internally within a decade of agricultural abandonment, they fail to converge toward old-growth reference states even after 43 years, suggesting that passive regeneration alone is insufficient to restore native microbial assemblages within ecologically relevant timescales.

Ebou, A., Amani, B. H. K., Toure, G.-P. T., Ehouman, E., Zaoui, S. V., Toure, A. D., Ndiaye, S. M., Yapo, S. C., Koffi (…)2026-06-22

🌿 ecology

NicheDiv: A DAPC framework to quantify niche divergence across highly multivariate environmental space

The paper introduces NicheDiv, an R package that adapts discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) to robustly quantify and characterize niche divergence across high-dimensional, collinear environmental spaces while addressing common methodological biases and identifying key drivers of ecological differentiation.

Schoenberger, D., MacDonald, Z. G., Schmidt, B. C., Dupuis, J. R.2026-06-22

🌿 ecology

Data requirements for accurate extinction-risk prediction in bistable populations

This study demonstrates that while parameters for Allee-effect population models are theoretically identifiable, accurate extinction-risk predictions critically depend on the quantity, quality, timing, and spatial resolution of observational data, as seemingly reliable estimates can still yield misleading forecasts.

Rajakumar, A., Buenzli, P. R., Simpson, M. J.2026-06-22

🌿 ecology

Organismal responses to artificial light at night in terrestrial ecosystems vary across lunar cycles

This review highlights that while most studies on artificial light at night (ALAN) fail to account for lunar cycles, the available evidence suggests that moonlight often mitigates the biological impacts of ALAN, prompting the authors to propose hypotheses and best practices for integrating lunar data into future ecological research.

Deitsch, J. F., Seymoure, B.2026-06-19

← Previous Next →