Journals & Publications

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  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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  In the heart of Europe, the Třeboňsko Biosphere Reserve exemplifies Michael L. Rosenzweig's “win-win landscape,” where human activity has harmoniously transformed forests and peat bogs into a diverse environment blending fishponds, forests, villages, and remnants of wilderness. This unique area hosts hundreds of fishponds that not only shape the landscape but also serve as a model for ecological research. In their paper in the December issue of Ecosphere, Charalambous et al. used a 12-year dataset to study waterbirds and confirmed a positive distribution–abundance relationship, with a novel finding of consistent seasonal weakening in its slope. This decline is attributed to reduced water transparency and habitat homogenization later in summer, creating a shortage of suitable fishponds as bird abundances increase. The study underscores the importance of managing wetlands and maintaining high-quality habitats to support biodiversity and restore ecological balance. With this approach, Třeboňsko has the potential to become a global model for sustainable nature conservation.

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  Aster souliei, a flowering “magnet species” from the alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China, is pictured on the January cover of Ecology. Flowering-dominant and unusually attractive magnet species with disproportionate contributions to pollination may play key roles in reproductive interactions among plants in the harsh environment of alpine meadows. In their study published in the December issue, Bi et al. experimentally removed either flowering-dominant or magnet species and quantified the mechanisms by which the two species promote the reproductive success of the other species. Their results suggest that the presence of a magnet species, which interacts with a wider range of pollinator species than the local dominant species, increases pollinator visitation and reproductive fitness of most other species.

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  Remote sensing approaches—like the LiDAR-equipped drone in Ecological Monographs's February 2025 cover image—have emerged as powerful tools for quantifying 3-D vegetation structure. In their study in the November 2024 issue, Coverdale et al. combined high-resolution measurements of vegetation structure with long-term data from a large-herbivore exclosure study in Kenya to explore the relationship between herbivores, plant diversity, and vegetation structure. The authors found that herbivores, especially elephants (Loxodonta africana), directly influence individual plant morphology, but also indirectly affect tree and herbaceous structure by altering plant diversity.

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  In their study in the December issue of Ecological Applications, Makdissi et al. explore the relationships between time since fire and bird species across a gradient of increasing aridity in southeastern Australia. Focusing on two semi-arid vegetation types, the authors examine whether fire-responsive species, including the New Holland honeyeater (Phylidonyris novaehollandiae), pictured here on the January cover, exhibit consistent responses to fire both within and between the vegetation types, and across the environmental gradient. The authors also explore the potential implications of using plant-derived fire management prescriptions on the occurrences of these bird species, particularly in the context of climate change.

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  The January issue of the ESA Bulletin examines the impacts of social change and technology on ecological education: "On the crossroads of ecology and education" reviews significant contributions from ecologists and educational theorists emphasizing the importance of connecting ecology and education; "Free online multiplayer games as inclusive tools for teaching ecology" explores integrating computer-based games as a learning tool; "From prototype to reality: moving beyond the technology hype in ecological research" documents the trials of creating and integrating an operational device for ecological research.

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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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