Proposal Submissions Open

The Ecological Society of America has over 100 years of journal publishing history and offers some of the most widely read and cited journals in the field of ecology. The seven journals in our portfolio encompass a wide range of paper types to include an array of aims and scope of study, making them an important and accessible outlet for scientists, researchers, practitioners, professionals, citizen scientists, and others seeking to publish their work. ESA staff provide editorial support with our publishing partner, John Wiley & Sons, and several discounts towards publication in ESA journals are available from our publisher and from ESA. Publishing in ESA journals contributes to ESA programs for students, early career researchers, and underrepresented groups, and we thank our editors, reviewers, authors, and readers for their support.

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Climate change is forcing scientists and natural resource managers to consider how species interactions shift in a rapidly warming world. In aquatic ecosystems, certain fishes function better than others in warmer temperatures. With climate warming, this means that some warm-adapted fish are expanding their range northward into lakes previously dominated by cool- or cold-adapted fish such as walleye (Sander vitreus). If these thermal groups occupy, and share resources within, the same waterbody, then it seems intuitive that removing the former group will benefit the latter. However, in their paper in the December issue of Frontiers, Jarvis et al. show that, under alternate thermal conditions, the removal of warm-adapted species may sometimes be detrimental to cool-adapted species. Acknowledging and understanding these switches in species interactions will help scientists and natural resource managers prepare for unexpected management outcomes under changing climatic conditions.

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The common toad (Bufo bufo) is a widespread Eurasian amphibian species, adapted to a variety of habitats ranging from lowland to high-elevation areas. Common toad populations are experiencing declines due to a number of threats such as climate change, habitat loss, and diseases. Using 28 years of individual data from a population monitored in the Swiss Alps (1850 m asl), Lenzi et al. investigated the direct and indirect (i.e., mediated by body size) effects of the environment and population density on survival and breeding probability. The study, published in the November issue of Ecosphere, shows that both direct and indirect effects are acting on this population, with, for instance, a negative effect of density on adult survival. Moreover, females show a quite regular biennial breeding cycle, probably due to the longer period needed to accumulate resources in the harsh environment they inhabit, characterized by long, cold winters and short summers.

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In The Scientific Naturalist section of the December issue of Ecology, Lai et al. document the Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) foraging for nectar from the Ethiopian red hot poker (Kniphofia foliosa) in the Bale Mountains of southern Ethiopia. Therophily—the pollination of plants by non-flying mammals—plays an important role in pollination with up to 87% of flowering plants depending on a wide variety of animal species for their pollination. Examples of carnivore species foraging for nectar are continuing to be discovered and present future opportunities for research of lesser-known pollen vectors. The cover image from Figure 1 in their paper depicts an Ethiopian wolf nectar foraging in a large Ethiopian red hot poker field of the Web Valley, Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia.

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The cover photo on the November issue of Ecological Monographs shows an Eddy Covariance measurement system in the long-term ecological research (LTER) site Matsch/Mazia in Northern Italy. In the Review section of this issue, Dainese et al. reveal the importance of combining different ecological approaches—such as the rainout shelter in the background of the cover image, and long-term monitoring of CO2 fluxes depicted in the foreground—to advance the understanding of the impacts of global change on mountain ecosystems.

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Many factors impact crop yield, including pollination and biocontrol. In their paper in the December issue of Ecological Applications, Anders et al. examined these ecosystem impacts in South African macadamia orchards. Using both observations and experiments, the authors found insect pollination significantly increased the nut set, with average initial nut set increasing 280% and average final nut set increasing 525%, and that birds and bats reduced insect damage by 40% on average. The authors found that the positioning of trees in orchards also plays a role. The cover photo depicts the experimental arrangement of the study trees, with the two trees on the left forming a sampling unit and surrounded by a predator exclusion cage. Two control trees are shown on the right. The trees are located at the edge of natural habitat (background).

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A symposium titled “We are stronger together: Building community to face barriers for Latin American and underrepresented ecologists” was organized by the ESA Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Chapter and held at the 2023 ESA Annual Meeting to address challenges faced by ecologists from Latin America and additional underrepresented backgrounds. Three of the symposium participants share their perspectives and findings in the October issue of the ESA Bulletin. The LAC chapter's efforts continue to build on this work with several follow-up activities during the 2024 ESA Annual Meeting which will be summarized in a future Bulletin piece.

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We are delighted to announce a call for submissions for Earth Stewardship. This exciting new Open Access journal, launched with our publishing partner, John Wiley & Sons, calls for a broad spectrum of scientifically and technologically innovative and groundbreaking contributions including cross-cultural perspectives from leading researchers, policymakers, traditional custodians of land and sea and indigenous communities. Earth Stewardship publishes applied and theoretical articles to promote a broad, intercultural, and participatory foundation for earth stewardship.

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