Ecology

Ecology is the science of how organisms interact with one another and with their physical environment. It spans scales from microscopic soil microbes to vast biomes, uniting processes of energy flow, nutrient cycling and population dynamics. Key themes include the structure and function of ecosystems, the patterns of species distribution and diversity, and the mechanisms—such as competition, predation and mutualism—that shape communities. Human activities now pervade nearly every habitat, driving climate change, land‐use alteration and biological invasions that challenge the resilience of natural systems. Contemporary ecology employs a blend of field observation, quantitative modelling and experimental manipulation to anticipate how ecosystems will respond to ongoing environmental change. By linking individual physiology, species interactions and landscape processes, ecological science underpins resource management, conservation practice and the restoration of degraded environments. Its global significance is reflected in practical applications—from designing protected‐area networks and sustainable fisheries to rehabilitating wetlands and forecasting the impacts of rising carbon dioxide on vegetation regimes.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A global synthesis of nutrient‐addition experiments has demonstrated that marine phytoplankton are often co‐limited by two or more essential elements. While nitrogen or iron limitation predominate in different ocean regions, dual nitrogen–iron limitation and even manganese or phosphate co-limitation emerge in polar and temperate zones, highlighting the need to refine ocean‐biogeochemical models. High‐resolution palaeolimnological analyses of Mediterranean sediment cores have revealed that abrupt shifts between forest and steppe biomes over the past half-million years were driven by CO₂-induced moisture changes. Statistical causal mapping linked atmospheric carbon to vegetation thresholds, providing a deep-time analogue for potential regime shifts under rising greenhouse‐gas levels. In Arctic lakes, long-term measurements of fish otoliths indicate that warming trends and longer ice-free seasons have substantially accelerated somatic growth of juvenile char, though density-dependent effects will moderate future gains. These findings illustrate how climate warming may restructure freshwater food webs through size-mediated interactions.

Topic trend for the past 5 years

The graph below shows the article count in Nature Index journals for ecology.

Technical terms

Ecosystem: A community of living organisms and their physical environment, interacting as a functional unit through energy and material flows.

Trophic cascade: An indirect effect by which predators alter the abundance or behaviour of their prey, thereby influencing lower trophic levels.

Co-limitation: Simultaneous limitation of primary productivity by two or more essential nutrients.

Endozoochory: Dispersal of organisms or propagules via ingestion and subsequent excretion by animals.

Species richness: The number of distinct species present in a given area or community.

Notable articles in ecology

1. Coastal phytoplankton blooms expand and intensify in the 21st century. Nature (2023).
2. Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains. Nature Medicine (2025).
3. Global carbon dioxide emissions from inland waters. Nature (2013).
4. Photonic crystals cause active colour change in chameleons. Nature Communications (2015).
5. Microplastic contamination of river beds significantly reduced by catchment-wide flooding. Nature Geoscience (2018).

Position of Ecology in Nature Index by Count

Top 5 leading collaborators in Ecology

Collaborating institutions