Terrestrial Ecology

Terrestrial ecology examines the interplay between land‐based organisms and their physical environment, from the molecular to the landscape scale. It addresses how sunlight, water, nutrients and disturbance agents (fire, herbivory, drought) shape species adaptations, community structure and ecosystem processes. Key themes include energy capture through photosynthesis and its dissipation via trophic transfers; resource partitioning and competition for light, soil moisture and minerals; and the roles of evolutionary innovations—such as C₄ photosynthesis and ruminant digestion—in driving biome formation. Climate dynamics, plate tectonics and geomorphology have sculpted Earth’s continental surfaces, giving rise to biomes from equatorial rain forests to hyperarid deserts. Within these biomes, soil development, hydrological gradients and disturbance regimes foster mosaics of forest, woodland, savanna, shrubland and grassland, each with characteristic species assemblages and ecosystem functions. An ecological perspective unites individual physiology, population dynamics and community interactions with global‐scale patterns, illuminating how life has conquered land and how terrestrial ecosystems will respond to ongoing environmental change.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Researchers have updated the known range of the water deer across Northeast China by integrating line‐transect surveys, interview records and ensemble species distribution models. The resulting maps identify 8,765 km² of suitable habitat and pinpoint remnant populations, providing a spatial foundation for recovery and reintroduction efforts. In south‐central Brazil, a high‐resolution satellite workflow combining Sentinel‐1 radar and Sentinel‐2 multispectral imagery with a random forest classifier has produced physiognomy‐level maps of Cerrado vegetation. Classification accuracies exceeded 90 percent at the formation scale, demonstrating how freely available radar‐optical time‐series can cost‐effectively underpin restoration planning. A pan‐trap study in the Mid-Atlantic United States has revealed an 80–90 percent decline in six native mason bee species over fifteen years following establishment of two exotic congeners. Analyses of catch records highlight competitive exclusion and pathogen spillover as likely drivers of native pollinator collapse, underscoring the need for biosecurity measures to protect ecosystem services.

Terrestrial Ecology publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in terrestrial ecology across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Species distribution model (SDM): A computational tool that uses species occurrence data and environmental variables to predict potential geographic ranges.

Random forest classifier: An ensemble machine‐learning method that constructs multiple decision trees for accurate categorisation of satellite imagery or species presence.

Ensemble modelling: The integration of several statistical or machine‐learning algorithms to capture uncertainty and improve robustness of ecological predictions.

Phenology: The timing of seasonally recurring life‐history events (e.g. seed germination, flowering) in response to environmental cues.

Allometric model: A mathematical equation relating easy‐to‐measure plant dimensions (e.g. stem diameter, height) to aboveground biomass for non‐destructive carbon stock estimation.

References

1. Distribution update of water deer (Hydropotes inermis) and prediction of their potential distribution in Northeast China. Scientific Reports (2023).
2. Mapping native and non-native vegetation in the Brazilian Cerrado using freely available satellite products. Scientific Reports (2022).
3. Decline of six native mason bee species following the arrival of an exotic congener. Scientific Reports (2020).
4. Reconstructed Global Invasion and Spatio-Temporal Distribution Pattern Dynamics of Sorghum halepense under Climate and Land-Use Change. Plants (2023).
5. Creating Hotter Fires in the Sonoran Desert: Buffelgrass Produces Copious Fuels and High Fire Temperatures. Fire Ecology (2013).