Ecology
ESA’s primary technical journal, Ecology, has been published since 1920. This monthly publication publishes research and synthesis papers on all aspects of ecology, with particular emphasis on papers that develop new concepts in ecology, that test ecological theory, or that lead to an increased appreciation for the diversity of ecological phenomena.
Read full Aims and Scope.
Explore contents of Ecology issues at Wiley
List of Editors for Ecology/Ecological Monographs
As a publication, Ecology follows an early botanical periodical called The Plant World, a botany monthly published from 1897 until 1919, after which Ecology replaced it. From May 1902 through 1906, The Plant World was the official publication of the Wild Flower Preservation Society of America.
Twenty-two volumes of The Plant World are online at Hathi Trust.
In late 1918, Dr. Daniel Trembly MacDougal of the Desert Laboratory of the Carnegie Institute at Tucson offered the Plant World to ESA (Moore 1938). In 1919, the Plant World Association consisted of 15 men, nine of whom (W. A. Cannon, J. A. Harris, B. E. Livingston, F. E. Lloyd, E. B. McCallum, D. T. MacDougal, J. B. Overton, F. Shreve, and E. N. Transeau) were charter members of the Ecological Society of America. There were only a few inconsequential stipulations — the editors of the Plant World were to serve on the board of editors of Ecology (as the journal was renamed), and the cover of Ecology was to carry the phrase “Continuing the Plant World” for a period of five years. In fact, this phrase lasted for 35 years, finally discontinued with Volume 36 in 1954.
…The first issue, dated January 1920, stated that “The pages…are open to papers of ecological interest from the entire field of biological science.” At some point, as yet undetermined, Ecology instituted a policy strongly favoring original research, and with few exceptions, opposing theoretical or review submissions. As a result, many important papers went elsewhere. … In the spring of 1973, the Board of Editors officially changed policy to include theoretical (particularly mathematical) and review papers.
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By 1925, a committee had been established to evaluate long-range needs for publication. The main concern was for publication space, and the issue revolved around an increase in the size of Ecology versus the initiation of a second journal. The choice was made, and Ecological Monographs began in January of 1931, intended to carry longer papers of a monographic nature.
—Robert L. Burgess, History of the Ecological Society of America, 1976; excerpt on publications
Ecology and Ecological Monographs shared an editorial board from the latter’s inception. In the mid-1970s, ESA began to consider the need for additional publication space and weighed the concept of a theoretical or mathematical journal. (The next journal to survive til the present was Ecological Applications, added in 1991.)
According to Burgess, “The first paid employee of the Society was a Managing Editor, begun with the appointment of Alton A. Lindsey in 1971. He was succeeded by Crawford G. Jackson, Jr. in 1973. The Managing Editor is responsible for both Ecology and Ecological Monographs in all respects except acceptance/rejection decisions based on scientific merit of the submitted manuscripts. This function is handled by the Board of Editors.”
Ecology was originally a quarterly publication, but expanded first to six issues (1966-1992), to 8 issues (1993-1999), then to its current monthly schedule in 2000. Types of contributions currently accepted are outlined here.