🌿 Category

ecology

429 papers

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

Functional metabolic annotations in the soil virosphere are rare but enriched for carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and chitin decomposition functions

An analysis of the Global Soil Virus Atlas reveals that while virus-encoded metabolic genes are globally rare in soils, they are non-randomly enriched for carbohydrate-active enzymes, particularly chitinases, suggesting that ignoring viral contributions may lead to underestimating the functional potential for specific carbon degradation traits in soil metagenomic studies.

Merges, D.2026-03-11
🌿 ecology

Environmental fluctuations alter the competitive trade-offs of group size in a social primate

Based on 33 years of data from white-faced capuchins, this study demonstrates that environmental fluctuations dynamically shift the competitive trade-offs between within-group foraging costs and between-group territorial advantages, driving larger groups to expand their ranges and encroach on neighbors in ways that depend on seasonal and climatic conditions.

Jacobson, O. T., Crofoot, M. C., Finerty, G. E., Barrett, B. J., Perry, S. E.2026-03-11
🌿 ecology

Biodiversity Dimensions in Mangroves: Uncovering Interactions and Spatial Drivers in the Sundarbans

This study analyzes data from 110 permanent sample plots in the Sundarbans to reveal how taxonomic, structural, functional, and phylogenetic biodiversity dimensions are interconnected and differentially driven by environmental stressors like salinity and siltation, highlighting the need for holistic conservation strategies that account for these distinct multidimensional responses.

Das, B., Asif, A. A., Ahmed, S., Xingyun, H., Fayeem, H. A. M., Mostofa, Z. B., Ema, E. J., Zaddary, A. M., Ullah, M. A. (…)2026-03-11
🌿 ecology

Parameter estimation and identifiability analysis of stability and tipping points in potentially bistable ecosystems

Using the Carpenter model of lake eutrophication, this study demonstrates that standard ecological monitoring data often fail to distinguish bistable regimes from stable ones, revealing that accurate identification of tipping points and bistability is only practically achievable when data are collected very close to the critical threshold.

Salpadoru, D. A., Adams, M. P., Helmstedt, K., Warne, D. J.2026-03-11
🌿 ecology

Developmental constraints mediate the reversal of temperature effects on the autumn phenology of European beech after the summer solstice

Through trans-solstice climate manipulation experiments on European beech, this study demonstrates that developmental constraints mediate a flexible phenological "switch" after the summer solstice, where the timing of spring leaf-out and specific diel temperature responses (particularly nighttime cooling) determine whether post-solstice warming delays or advances autumn phenology.

Rebindaine, D., Crowther, T. W., Renner, S. S., Wu, Z., Zou, Y., Mo, L., Ma, H., Bucher, R., Zohner, C. M.2026-03-10
🌿 ecology

Implications of the trade-offs between negative density-dependence and Allee effects for vector control

This study demonstrates that while negative density-dependence and Allee effects individually have limited long-term impacts on malaria mosquito populations, their interaction—particularly when sustained vector control interventions reduce population sizes to trigger Allee effects—significantly accelerates extinction and offers a strategic pathway for eliminating disease vectors.

Kipingu, A. M., Kiware, S. S., Haydon, D. T., Johnson, P. C. D., Viana, M.2026-03-10