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

Identifying and quantifying conflicts between humans and terrestrial mammals in Great Britain

This study utilizes a literature review and a Generic Impact Scoring System to identify and quantify 200 human-wildlife conflicts involving 48 British terrestrial mammal species, revealing that while economic and disease-related conflicts are significant, informed decision-making requires balancing these costs with the intrinsic value of wildlife to promote coexistence rather than solely focusing on conflict resolution.

Palphramand, K. L., Warren, D. A., Smith, G. C., Cowan, D.2026-03-03

🌿 ecology

Genotype-Driven Carbon Sequestration And Soil Fertility Restoration In Coastal Agroforestry Systems: A Mechanistic Evaluation Of Nutrient * Genotype Interactions

This study demonstrates that in coastal guava agroforestry systems in Odisha, India, selecting the superior 'Utkal Madhuri' brinjal genotype combined with an optimized nutrient regime (200:50:50 kg ha⁻¹ N:P₂O₅:K₂O) significantly maximizes carbon sequestration and restores soil fertility through a critical genotype-nutrient interaction.

SAHU, P., NAYAK, M. R., NAYAK, J.2026-03-03

🌿 ecology

How robust are genomic offset predictions to methodological choices? Insights from perennial ryegrass

This study demonstrates that while both Gradient Forest and Canonical Correlation Analysis methods yield spatially congruent genomic offset predictions validated by phenotypic traits in perennial ryegrass, the non-linear Gradient Forest approach is more robust to variations in sample size and geographic distribution, offering practical guidance for designing climate maladaptation assessments.

PEGARD, M., LACHMUTH, S., Sampoux, J.-P., BLANCO-PASTOR, J., Barre, P., FITZPATRICK, M. C.2026-03-03

🌿 ecology

ecoTolerance: An R package for Assessing Road and Human Footprint Tolerance in Wildlife Species

The paper introduces ecoTolerance, an open-source R package that calculates Road Tolerance Index (RTI) and Human-Footprint Tolerance Index (HFTI) metrics to automate the assessment of wildlife species' tolerance to human pressures, thereby aiding in the identification of vulnerable species for conservation planning.

Miranda, D. F., Forti, L. R.2026-03-02

🌿 ecology

Seafloor video-acoustic monitoring in a Greenlandic glacial fjord records hyperbenthos, backward-swimming fish, and narwhals

This study demonstrates that autonomous video-acoustic monitoring in a Greenlandic glacial fjord effectively characterizes a turbulent, particle-rich seafloor environment and documents diverse biodiversity, including hyperbenthos, backward-swimming fish, and narwhals.

Podolskiy, E. A., Ogawa, M., Hasegawa, K., Tomiyasu, M., Sugiyama, S., Mitani, Y.2026-03-02

🌿 ecology

The duration and predictability of heatwaves shape host-parasite interactions under thermal stress

This study demonstrates that under stressful mean temperatures, the impact of thermal variability on host-parasite interactions is not uniform but depends on specific combinations of heatwave duration, predictability, and parasite identity, suggesting that increasing climatic variability will reshape disease outcomes in complex, species-specific ways.

Rozmann, V., OKeeffe, F., Officer, M., Luijckx, P., Piggott, J. J.2026-03-02

🌿 ecology

Janzen-Connell effects and habitat-induced aggregation synergistically promote species coexistence

This paper demonstrates that while dispersal limitation can weaken Janzen-Connell effects, the synergistic interaction between Janzen-Connell effects and habitat partitioning in spatially autocorrelated environments significantly enhances species coexistence, a dynamic quantified by a novel spatial JC-HP covariance metric.

Smith, D. J. B.2026-02-28

🌿 ecology

Tree microbiomes and methane exchange in upland forests

This study demonstrates that widespread internal methanogenesis by heartwood microbes, rather than soil transport, is the primary driver of methane emissions in upland forests, with net flux determined by the species-specific balance between microbial production and consumption.

Gewirtzman, J., Arnold, W., Taylor, M., Burrows, H., Merenstein, C., Woodbury, D., Whitlock, N., Kraut, K., Gonzalez, L. (…)2026-02-28

🌿 ecology

Living in the City: Symbiont stability and bacterial compositional and functional plasticity in Miamis urban corals

This study reveals that while the algal symbionts of *Siderastrea siderea* corals in urban Miami remain stable, their bacterial communities exhibit significant seasonal and spatial plasticity, shifting in composition and function to enhance stress tolerance and nutrient acquisition in polluted environments.

Thangadurai, T., Bellantuono, A., Merselis, D., Hatch, R. R., Marathe, A., Foord, C., Rodriguez-Lanetty, M.2026-02-28

🌿 ecology

Limited predictability of tree-level responses to drought across European forests

Based on a pan-European analysis of over 2,900 trees across sixteen species, this study reveals that tree-level drought resilience is inherently difficult to predict using local attributes like size or competition, as responses are primarily driven by species-specific traits and topographic variation rather than stand-level factors.

Rodriguez Hernandez, D. I., Fischer, F. J., O'Brien, D., De Kauwe, M., Wang, B., Bouriaud, O., Jucker, T.2026-02-28

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