Smarter planning to bring rivers back to life – The Applied Ecologist

In this blog post, Virgilio Hermoso explains how to plan the recovery of longitudinal and lateral connectivity to restore free-flowing rivers in their latest study. Rivers are more than lines on a map—they are living networks. They connect mountains to coasts, nourish floodplains, and support incredible biodiversity. But over the past century, we have fragmented […]

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Albatrosses make distinct flight hops when following fishing vessels – The Applied Ecologist

In their new study, “Immersion patterns alone can predict vessel following by albatrosses”, Jonathan Rutter et al. present a new behaviour-based method to detect previously hidden interactions between seabirds and fishing vessels. In oceans around the world, seabirds follow fishing vessels looking for easy meal. This puts them at risk of bycatch, when birds are […]

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A global meta-analysis – The Applied Ecologist

In this blog post, Yunhui Liu and team share insights from their recent global meta-analysis on how cover crop mixtures can enhance agricultural sustainability by promoting multiple ecosystem functions. As agriculture faces growing challenges from climate change and land degradation, cover crops are increasingly recognized as an essential tool for improving soil health and farm […]

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More than just a conference – The Applied Ecologist

Ardiantiono, Associate Editor mentee of Journal of Applied Ecology, writes about his experience attending the British Ecological Society’s 2024 Annual Meeting for the first time. Registration for the 2025 Annual Meeting in Edinburgh is now open. Liverpool has long been on my travel wish list. Especially as I initially wanted to visit for Eurovision 2023, […]

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A regenerative agriculture model rooted in Goan tradition – The Applied Ecologist

In our ‘Field Diaries’ series, The Applied Ecologist is sharing stories from a range of different fieldwork experiences. In this first-person pictorial account, Apeksha Khedekar explores their time spent researching the sustainability of homestead farming among tribal populations in Goa. About the author Apeksha Khedekar © Shivanjali Phalke ; Jaya Gaude I was a master’s […]

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Resilience in uncertain times and the importance of community – The Applied Ecologist

To celebrate Pride Month 2025, we are excited to share a series of blogs and podcasts highlighting useful articles and resources for LGBTQIA+ ecologists and researchers. In each post, the authors behind these resources explain what they are, how they came to produce them, and why they are important. The authors Nathan Alexander (he/him)  ResearchGate: […]

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Fire season and drought influence fire effects on invasive grasses – The Applied Ecologist

In this Q&A, we discussed with author Charlotte Reemts the background behind her team’s recently published meta-analysis focused on invasive bluestems. Why study this group of grasses? Warm-season grasses from these two genera (Bothriochloa and Dichanthium) are interesting because they are important species in their native ranges but have also been introduced into other grasslands […]

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The potential of second-growth forests for bird diversity in a small holder landscape – The Applied Ecologist

Mareike Kortmann and co-authors share a summary about their latest study which focusses on the ability of sample coverage to impact diversity measures of bird communities in tropical lowland forests. Tropical old-growth forests are disappearing at an alarming rate, leading to concerning biodiversity loss. But amidst this global decline, some forest areas are also recovering. […]

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The role of forests in landslide occurrence, recurrence and recovery – The Applied Ecologist

Shortlisted for the 2024 Southwood Prize Ying Ki Law explains how her team investigated post-landslide vegetation recovery patterns and the role of forests in occurrence and recurrence probability. About the research Overview Our paper examines how landslides recover and what factors influence their regrowth and landslide risk. While landslide management often focuses on engineering solutions, […]

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Forecasting nocturnal bird migration for dynamic aeroconservation – The Applied Ecologist

Shortlisted for the 2024 Southwood Prize Maja Bradarić details how, alongside colleagues, utilising radar data, weather and phenological variables allowed for the development of seasonal near-term forecasts of low-altitude nocturnal bird migration over the southern North Sea. About the research Overview Our research explores environmental drivers and spatiotemporal patterns of nocturnal bird migration over the […]

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