Aims & Scope
Core Research Domains
Population & Community Ecology
- Population dynamics and demographic modeling
- Community structure and assembly
- Species coexistence mechanisms
- Metapopulation dynamics and connectivity
- Ecological niche theory and partitioning
- Trophic interactions and food web dynamics
Long-term monitoring of predator-prey dynamics in temperate forest ecosystems, examining how climate variability affects population cycles and community stability.
Behavioral & Evolutionary Ecology
- Foraging behavior and optimal decision-making
- Mating systems and sexual selection
- Social behavior and cooperation
- Life history evolution and trade-offs
- Phenotypic plasticity and adaptation
- Evolutionary responses to environmental change
Experimental studies of mate choice in wild bird populations, integrating genetic analysis with behavioral observations to understand selection pressures.
Conservation & Biodiversity Science
- Threatened species ecology and recovery
- Habitat fragmentation and connectivity
- Biodiversity patterns across spatial scales
- Ecological restoration and rewilding
- Climate change impacts on species distributions
- Conservation genetics and population viability
Assessment of corridor effectiveness for large mammal movement in fragmented landscapes, combining GPS tracking with landscape genetics.
Ecosystem Ecology & Biogeochemistry
- Nutrient cycling and ecosystem productivity
- Carbon sequestration and climate feedbacks
- Decomposition and soil ecology
- Plant-soil-microbe interactions
- Ecosystem responses to disturbance
- Ecological succession and resilience
Quantifying carbon flux in wetland ecosystems under varying hydrological regimes, examining plant community composition effects on greenhouse gas emissions.
Secondary Focus Areas
Biotic Interactions
- Plant-animal interactions (pollination, seed dispersal, herbivory)
- Predator-prey dynamics and coevolution
- Mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism
- Symbiotic relationships in natural systems
- Ecological networks and interaction webs
Landscape & Spatial Ecology
- Landscape structure and function
- Spatial patterns of biodiversity
- Island biogeography and isolation effects
- Movement ecology and dispersal
- Habitat selection and resource distribution
Ecosystem-Specific Studies
- Forest ecology (temperate, tropical, boreal)
- Grassland and savanna ecology
- Wetland and riparian systems
- Freshwater and marine ecology
- Alpine and arctic ecosystems
Molecular & Physiological Ecology
- Ecological genomics and transcriptomics
- Population genetics in wild populations
- Ecophysiology and stress responses
- Molecular markers for conservation
- Phylogenetic ecology and diversification
Global Change Ecology
- Climate change impacts on ecosystems
- Anthropogenic disturbance effects
- Land use change and deforestation
- Invasive species ecology
- Urban ecology and human-wildlife interactions
Methodological Innovations
- Ecological modeling and simulation
- Remote sensing applications in ecology
- AI/machine learning for species identification
- Citizen science and large-scale monitoring
- Novel statistical approaches for ecological data
Emerging Research Frontiers
Novel Areas Under Development
- Microbiome ecology in wild populations
- Acoustic ecology and soundscape analysis
- Environmental DNA (eDNA) applications
- Eco-evolutionary dynamics in real time
- Paleontology and paleoecology (ecological context)
- Functional trait ecology and biodiversity-ecosystem function
- Ecological forecasting and predictive models
- Ecosystem services valuation in natural systems
Explicit Exclusions
We Do NOT Consider:
Veterinary diagnosis, treatment protocols, clinical case reports, animal patient care, disease management in domestic animals. Rationale: Our focus is wild population ecology, not veterinary practice or animal medicine.
Crop yield optimization, agricultural pest management, farm animal husbandry, livestock production systems, agricultural biotechnology applications. Rationale: We publish on natural ecosystems, not managed agricultural systems.
Ornamental plant cultivation, greenhouse management, horticultural breeding programs, garden pest control. Rationale: Horticulture is outside our ecological scope; consider specialized horticulture journals.
Species descriptions lacking ecological data, morphological studies without population or community context, taxonomic revisions without biogeographic or evolutionary ecology analysis. Rationale: Taxonomy must be integrated with ecological questions to fit our scope.
Bioreactor optimization, industrial enzyme production, fermentation technology, applied microbiology for manufacturing. Rationale: We focus on ecological microbiology in natural systems, not industrial applications.
Article Types & Editorial Priorities
Priority 1: Expedited Review
Full-length studies with novel findings (4,000-8,000 words)
Comprehensive meta-analyses and evidence synthesis (6,000-10,000 words)
Novel methodological advances with validation (3,000-6,000 words)
Priority 2: Regular Review Timeline
Concise reports of significant findings (2,000-3,500 words)
High-value datasets with ecological applications (1,500-3,000 words)
Forward-looking analyses of research directions (3,000-5,000 words)
Field techniques and practical innovations (2,000-4,000 words)
Priority 3: Selective Acceptance
By invitation only; must address critical ecological debates
Only if exceptional ecological significance and broader implications
Editorial Standards & Requirements
Reporting Guidelines
- ARRIVE guidelines for animal research
- PRISMA for systematic reviews
- STROBE for observational studies
- Ecological Metadata Language (EML) for datasets
- Transparent reporting of statistical methods
Data & Reproducibility
- Raw data deposition in public repositories required
- Code availability for computational analyses
- Detailed methods enabling replication
- GPS coordinates for field sites (when appropriate)
- Voucher specimen information for taxonomic studies
Ethics & Permissions
- Institutional animal care committee approval
- Field research permits and permissions
- Indigenous community consultation (when applicable)
- Conflict of interest disclosure
- Funding source transparency
Preprint & Prior Publication
- Preprints on recognized servers accepted
- Conference abstracts do not preclude submission
- Thesis chapters acceptable with proper disclosure
- No duplicate submission to other journals
- Prior publication in non-peer-reviewed outlets permitted
Ready to Submit Your Research?
If your work aligns with our scope and meets our standards, we invite you to submit your manuscript for peer review. Our editorial team is committed to fair, rigorous, and timely evaluation.
Contact Editorial Office
