ecology papers | Gist.Science

Governing the decline: clam fisheries and the challenges of decentralized management across the western Mediterranean and Gulf of Cadiz (Spain).

This study analyzes four decades of clam fisheries data in Spain to demonstrate that while the northwest Mediterranean has suffered from overexploitation and fragmented governance, the Andalusian region has achieved greater resilience through adaptive, science-based co-governance, underscoring the need for coordinated, participatory management frameworks to ensure the sustainability of small-scale fisheries.

Baeta, M., Benestan, L. M., Madrones, M. + 7 more2026-03-25🌿 ecology

Historic and contemporary museum specimens implicate Northern Red-backed Vole (Clethrionomys rutilus) as borealpox host as early as 1990s

This study identifies the Northern Red-backed Vole (*Clethrionomys rutilus*) as a likely reservoir for Borealpox virus by detecting the pathogen in both contemporary wild populations and historical museum specimens dating back to the late 1990s, suggesting the virus has been circulating in Alaskan small mammals for at least 25 years prior to the first reported human cases.

Juman, M. M., Doty, J. B., Morgan, C. N. + 18 more2026-03-25🌿 ecology

Influence of organs, body size and growth and domoic acid depuration in the king scallop, Pecten maximus.

This study demonstrates that in king scallops (*Pecten maximus*), domoic acid accumulation is negatively correlated with body size during contamination but shifts to a positive correlation after prolonged depuration, a dynamic driven by the combined effects of faster toxin clearance in smaller individuals and toxin dilution through growth.

Le Moan, E., Hegaret, H., Deleglise, M. + 8 more2026-03-25🌿 ecology

Status of Round Goby Invasion Fronts in New York and Quebec: Implications for Lake Champlain

This study documents the 2021–2025 monitoring of advancing round goby populations in New York and Quebec via the Hudson/Champlain Canal and Saint Lawrence/Richelieu River approaches to Lake Champlain, utilizing eDNA and traditional sampling to map their proximity to the lake, assess temperature-driven habitat use, and detect viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus to inform invasive species management strategies.

George, S. D., Diebboll, H. L., Pearson, S. H. + 15 more2026-03-25🌿 ecology

The role of edible habitat complexity in food webs

This paper integrates existing theories on predator-prey interactions and habitat complexity to demonstrate that edible habitat complexity (EHC) species, which are both consumed and provide structural refuge, significantly stabilize aquatic food webs by offering "safety in rarity" for both prey and the EHC species themselves.

Forbes, E. J., Stockwell, J. D.2026-03-25🌿 ecology

Complementary evidence from historical and contemporary gene dispersal reveals contrasting population dynamics in a tropical tree species

By integrating historical spatial genetic structure with contemporary parentage analyses across four populations of *Dicorynia guianensis* in French Guiana, this study reveals contrasting patterns of gene dispersal and reproductive success that highlight the critical value of multi-temporal genetic approaches for assessing the demographic stability and conservation needs of tropical forest trees.

Bonnier, J., Heuertz, M., Traissac, S. + 6 more2026-03-25🌿 ecology

Time to Potential Collision: A Dynamic Approach To Study Vessel-Whale Close Encounters

This study redefines vessel-whale close encounters using a dynamic Time to Potential Collision (TPC) metric to quantify risks in the Eastern North Atlantic, revealing that sperm and beaked whales are frequently involved and that factors like poor visibility, cargo ships, and inexperienced observers significantly reduce detection time, thereby underscoring the need for speed reductions and experienced marine mammal observers to mitigate collision risks.

Santos, R., Oliveira-Rodrigues, C., Silva, I. M. + 9 more2026-03-25🌿 ecology

Analysis of Seasonal and Long-Term Population Dynamics for Modeling Populations at Low Density: Experience with Light Traps

This study analyzes 21 years of light trap data for the conifer silk moth *Dendrolimus superans* to develop three models that link weather-driven flight initiation, long-term population dynamics, and binary catch patterns, ultimately demonstrating that adult catch data can serve as a reliable proxy for larval density and enabling the analysis of sparse pest populations.

Martemyanov, V., Soukhovolsky, V., Dubatolov, V. + 2 more2026-03-25🌿 ecology

Fungal-beetle networks in deadwood are modular and shaped by tree species and deadwood type

A large-scale restoration experiment reveals that tree species and deadwood type are the primary drivers of saproxylic fungal and beetle community composition, fostering highly modular and compartmentalized interaction networks that underscore the necessity of maintaining diverse forest structures to support specialized multitrophic biodiversity.

Faticov, M., Dahlberg, A., Hjalten, J. + 2 more2026-03-25🌿 ecology

Global synthesis of aquatic insect heat tolerance reveals oxygen availability as a key driver of climate vulnerability

A global synthesis of 423 aquatic insect species reveals that oxygen availability is the primary driver of heat tolerance and climate vulnerability, with species relying exclusively on dissolved oxygen exhibiting the lowest thermal limits and warming tolerances compared to those capable of accessing terrestrial air.

Bristow, S. A., Verberk, W. C. E. P., Stoks, R. + 3 more2026-03-25🌿 ecology

Female site fidelity and repeated pairings across years in bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) inhabiting Fiji waters

This study utilizes population genomics of 296 bull sharks in Fiji to demonstrate reproductive philopatry and repeated pairings across breeding seasons, revealing complex familial connections between adults at the Shark Reef Marine Reserve and neonates in adjacent rivers.

Glaus, K., Benestan, L. M., Brunnschweiler, J. + 3 more2026-03-25🌿 ecology

Temporal uncertainty in fossil records can distort distributions and ecological niches during periods of climatic instability

This study demonstrates that while fossil-based species distribution models remain robust to temporal uncertainty during stable climatic periods, high environmental variability—particularly during deglacial transitions—significantly distorts inferred ecological niches and distributions when age errors exceed a few thousand years.

Bellve, A. M., Syverson, V. J. P., Blois, J. L. + 1 more2026-03-25🌿 ecology

Structural Complementarity Maximizes Feasibility and Stability in Microbial Community Coalescence

This study demonstrates that coalescing microbial communities with maximally distinct interaction structures enhances ecosystem robustness by optimizing both feasibility and dynamical stability through structural complementarity, offering a theoretical basis for engineering resilient microbiomes.

Zhu, Y., Waring, B. G., Ransome, E. + 7 more2026-03-25🌿 ecology

Whole forest in a pouch? Methods converge in uncovering wood ants fungal and bacterial microbiota

This study utilizes a combination of classical and multi-marker sequencing methods to comprehensively characterize the diverse and stable fungal and bacterial microbiota within the infrabuccal pockets of *Formica polyctena* ants, offering new insights into their role as ecosystem engineers in forest networks.

Siedlecki, I., Kochanowski, M., Bak, I. + 8 more2026-03-25🌿 ecology

Spatio-temporal shifts driven by climate change threaten persistence and resilience of honey bee populations

This study utilizes genomic data and climate modeling to demonstrate that climate change will disrupt the spatial genetic structure of honey bee populations in Anatolia and Thrace, leading to reduced persistence and resilience for most lineages while expanding those adapted to warmer, drier conditions, thereby rendering current conservation areas ineffective.

Kükrer, M.2026-03-25🌿 ecology

Pathogen and pest risks to vegetatively propagated crops in humanitarian contexts: Toward a national plant health risk analysis for Cameroon and Ethiopia

This study establishes a foundational national plant health risk analysis for Cameroon and Ethiopia by integrating cropland network mapping, trade data, and expert knowledge to identify critical surveillance locations and inform strategies that prevent the unintentional spread of pathogens and pests during humanitarian agricultural recovery efforts.

Mouafo-Tchinda, R., Etherton, B., Plex Sula, A. + 11 more2026-03-24🌿 ecology

Feeding ecology and ecological risks of the invasive fish Coreoperca herzi revealed by gut content DNA and environmental DNA metabarcoding

By integrating gut content and environmental DNA metabarcoding, this study reveals that invasive Korean perch in Japan's Oyodo River system exhibit early-onset piscivory and opportunistic feeding on abundant aquatic insects and fish, posing significant ecological risks to native freshwater communities.

Tsuji, S., Hibino, Y., Morimoto, S. + 2 more2026-03-24🌿 ecology

HOW FIVE DECADES OF LAND-COVER CHANGE RESHAPED SUITABLE HABITAT FOR PUERTO RICAN TREE SPECIES

Over five decades of reforestation in Puerto Rico disproportionately increased suitable habitat for tree species that were already present, possessed broad climatic niches, and exhibited acquisitive functional traits, thereby potentially favoring generalists over specialists and reshaping community composition.

Moro, L., Milesi, P., Helmer, E. + 2 more2026-03-24🌿 ecology

Host-mediated pH influences microbiome assembly and function on the phylloplane

This study demonstrates that host plant species act as active ecological filters that reorganize microbial taxonomic composition and functional repertoires on the phylloplane through host-specific trait regimes, with pH regulation playing a role in this assembly process, rather than leaves serving as passive substrates.

Floc'h, J.-B., Lopez-Gonzalez, C., Renner, T. + 1 more2026-03-24🌿 ecology

Temperature-dependent performance scales with maximum heat tolerance across ectotherms

This study synthesizes data from over 100 ectotherms to reveal that while heat tolerance (CTmax) generally correlates with thermal performance traits, the relationship varies by physiological process and timescale, suggesting that relying solely on CTmax may overestimate thermal safety margins for critical metabolic functions.

Cicchino, A. S., Collier, J., Bieg, C. + 6 more2026-03-24🌿 ecology

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