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50 best ecology topics for your research paper.

ecology topics

Finding the right ecology topics is not the easiest thing in the world. Because topics within the field of ecology vary widely, it may be difficult to make a choice. However, with the list of ecology topics in this article, you’ll find it easier to make a choice. These topics in ecology will help you get ecology project ideas for your ecology research, presentation, etc. So without further ado, let us explore some interesting ecology topics!

Ecology refers to the study of how ecosystems function. It refers to the relationships between living organisms and their environment. Most ecological processes occur very slowly. Sometimes, they could happen rather rapidly. Ecology remains crucial in studying ecosystems and is important for survival.

Ecology Research Paper Topics

We have some interesting ecology research topics spanning many aspects of ecology. With these ecology topics for research paper , you’ll be able to carry out meaningful research. Let’s delve into some of the ecology paper topics we have for you!

  • Novel ways to introduce new predators into an area
  • The discovery of manure and its impact on plant growth
  • The effect of acid rain on trees
  • Effective strategies to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide into the environment
  • Proven strategies to make the environment more sustainable

Evolutionary Ecology Research Topics

The following ecology topics will be sure to get you top grades in your evolutionary ecology research.

  • How maternal structures evolved functional roles to ensure the survival of offspring.
  • How invaders affect the evolution of soil fungal communities.
  • How social complexity in humans evolved.
  • How climate change affects the evolutionary change in natural and managed biodiversity.
  • Transcriptomic changes that allow the successful evolution of plant species from aquatic habitats terrestrial habitats

Human Ecology Topics

Being able to relate humans and our impact on ecology and vice versa is important. What influence do humans have on the environment? The following human ecology topics are sure to get you an A+ in that research!

  • Can people safely live in Megacities?
  • How can Ecologists effectively protect marine species that are at risk?
  • Overconsumption and its effect on the environment
  • Physiological ecology and its importance to us
  • An exhaustive description of the agrarianism philosophy
  • Fast food and possible problems it poses to the environment.
  • Human macroevolution and the future
  • Similarities between Cultural and Genetic Evolution

Ecology Research Project Ideas

Ideas rule the world. However, ideas are not easy to come by. Do you have to come up with an interesting ecology project but have hit the wall? Are you short on ideas? Well, we’ve got some ecology research project ideas and topics that you can explore.

Are you in college and need an ecology project idea? It is no news that college professors require students to have more in-depth information on various subjects. If you want to wow your college professors, then these ideas for ecology project will let you stand out! The listed ideas contain some ecology project ideas for college students. Come, and let’s explore some worthwhile ecology project topics for you!

  • An analysis of the effect of climate change on plant species
  • Green roofs: The working design and why they should be in use
  • Exploring the benefits of natural green effects
  • Mirroring the environment: freeing the environment from toxins
  • How to completely adopt renewable sources of energy.
  • The Principle of competitive exclusion and advantages
  • Novel methods of recycling waste paper more effectively
  • Analyzing the effectiveness of various weed killers

Environment and Ecology Research

Carrying out environment and ecology research is not the easiest research area. However, researching environment-related concepts could be very rewarding. Environmental and ecology research covers areas such as biodiversity, biogeography, ecosystem ecology, wildlife management, and so on.

Here are some interesting topics for ecology papers that will help you in your environmental ecology research. Feel free to discover more environment topics .

  • Climate change and the migration of Polar Bears
  • A look into the major changes in the ecosystem
  • Wind energy: How the environment can help in energy conservation.
  • Analyzing the growth or decline of farming in the last five years
  • Analyzing the impact of fracking on the environment
  • The best methods for measuring worldwide climate change.
  • Are human damages to the environment irreversible?

Ecology Issues

More than ever, the ecosystem is beginning to feel the impact of humans. Most of the activities and actions of humans have negative effects on the environment. These effects are growing every day and becoming increasingly undeniable. We are endangering the lives of future generations of all species!

Many people are still unaware of how their activities bring about negative changes to the ecosystem. Although terms such as “genetic modification” and “climate change” seem commonplace, many cannot connect the dots to see why they actually matter.

Would you like to shed some more light on pressing issues in ecology? Well, we shall provide you with a list of ecological problems you can start with! Here, we shall examine some of the biggest environmental problems we face on our planet today. Explore these ecology issues now!

  • Climate change and the availability of natural resources
  • Presence of reactive nitrogen in the environment
  • Air pollution and its effect on the ecosystem
  • Polluted freshwater ecosystems
  • Conservation of forests

Ecology Experiment Ideas

When you have a solid idea for an experiment, it becomes more fun than ever! Here are some ecology lab ideas that are not only interesting but also practical!

  • Exploring the effects of acid rain on aquatic life
  • How can plants help to measure tap water quality?
  • Hydrogen peroxide and plant roots: the effect
  • Common invasive plants and why they are ubiquitous
  • Effect of fertilizers on the aquatic environment
  • Novel ways to neutralize hazardous waste in the environment

Ecology Topics for Presentation

Are you confused on what to talk about in your next ecology presentation in a group or class? Well, you don’t have to worry anymore! Here are some of the best ecology topics for presentations!

  • How do species survive the harshest of conditions?
  • Why do we have salt marshes?
  • Dead zones in seas: the causes
  • Why human exploration is having negative impacts on the environment
  • Which species is the most successful?
  • Latest technologies to make hazardous waste harmless

We have provided you with 50 well-researched ecology topics and ideas for your ecology research, project, presentation, experiments, and lots more. Use these topics to get that much-needed A+. Our academic writers are always happy to help you. Never forget to do something remarkable always!

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Ecology Essay Ideas

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Ecology is the study of the interactions and reciprocal influence of living organisms within a specific environment. It's usually taught in the context of biology, though some high schools also offer courses in Environmental Science which includes topics in ecology.

Ecology Topics to Choose From

Topics within the field can range broadly, so your choices of topics are practically endless! The list below may help you generate your own ideas for a research paper or essay.

Research Topics

  • How are new predators introduced into an area? Where has this happened in the United States?
  • How is the ecosystem of your backyard different from the ecosystem of another person's backyard ecosystem?
  • How is a desert ecosystem different from a forest ecosystem?
  • What is the history and impact of manure?
  • How are different types of manure good or bad?
  • How has the popularity of sushi impacted the earth?
  • What trends in eating habits have impacted our environment?
  • What hosts and parasites exist in your home?
  • Pick five products from your refrigerator, including the packaging. How long would it take for the products to decay in the earth?
  • How are trees affected by acid rain?
  • How do you build an ecovillage?
  • How clean is the air in your town?
  • What is the soil from your yard made of?
  • Why are coral reefs important?
  • Explain the ecosystem of a cave. How could that system be disturbed?
  • Explain how rotting wood impacts the earth and people.
  • What ten things could you recycle in your home?
  • How is recycled paper made?
  • How much carbon dioxide is released into the air every day because of fuel consumption in cars? How could this be reduced?
  • How much paper is thrown away in your town every day? How could we use paper that is thrown away?
  • How could each family save water?
  • How does discarded motor oil affect the environment?
  • How can we increase the use of public transportation? How would that help the environment?
  • Pick an endangered species. What could make it go extinct? What could save this species from extinction?
  • What species have been discovered within the past year?
  • How could the human race become extinct? Describe a scenario.
  • How does a local factory affect the environment?
  • How do ecosystems improve water quality?

Topics for Opinion Papers

There is a great deal of controversy about topics that link ecology and public policy. If you enjoy writing papers that take a point of view , consider some of these:

  • What impact is climate change having on our local ecology?
  • Should the United States ban the use of plastics to protect delicate ecosystems?
  • Should new laws be enacted to limit the use of energy produced by fossil fuels?
  • How far should human beings go to protect ecologies where endangered species live?
  • Is there ever a time when natural ecology should be sacrificed for human needs?
  • Should scientists bring back an extinct animal? What animals would you bring back and why?
  • If scientists brought back the saber-toothed tiger, how might it impact the environment?
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  • What Date Is Earth Week? How to Celebrate
  • What Good Are Ants?
  • External Hierarchy of Life
  • College Science Fair Projects
  • What Is Earth Day?
  • A Glossary of Ecology and Population Biology Terms
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  • Richard Nixon Was a Green President Who Enacted Environmental Policies
  • Megadiverse Countries
  • Second Grade Writing Prompts

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253 Ecology Topics for Research, Presentation, & Other Assignments

Ecology is an excellent topic for a heated dispute today. Giving rise to numerous discussions, the environment is of great interest to everyone living on this planet. It means you won’t have any difficulties choosing a topic for an ecology essay.

Check out topics in different subfields of ecology below. 10 categories, 190+ topics!

Are you ready? Let’s go!

  • 🔥 Hottest Ecology Topics for 2024
  • 🗂️ Taxonomic Ecology

⛏️ Applied Ecology

  • 🏜️ Terrestrial Ecology

🐛 Organismal Ecology

📝 ecology topics for assignment.

  • 🚵 Human Ecology
  • 🪵 Ecology Topics
  • 🌳 Plant Ecology
  • 🕵️ Resources

🔥 Hot Ecology Topics: 2024

Here, you can find a hand-picked list of the most relevant topics in ecology worthy of your attention. Those questions have emerged over the last few years but still require close attention.

  • Economies expansion and carbon emissions.
  • Greenhouse gas emissions issue.
  • Environmental breaches.
  • Food insecurity and waste.
  • Destruction of natural habitats by humans.
  • Transport industry’s input to global warming .
  • Why less than 10% of plastic ever produced is being recycled?
  • How to decrease the amount of microplastic in the oceans?
  • Atmospheric pollution: Causes and effects.
  • How to decrease the deforestation levels?
  • What are the effects of dust storms in Europe?
  • Accounting for corporate accountability: Pollution allowances.
  • Air pollution and the risks of mortalities related to COVID-19.
  • How much freshwater is used to grow meat for one hamburger?
  • Health effects of environmental change.
  • What is the impact of using lab-grown meat on the environment?
  • Effects of greenhouse gas emissions and rising temperature.
  • Nuclear power and its effect on the environment.
  • Renewable energy projects against global warming.
  • Environmental effects of global migration.
  • Tourism and environment in conflict .
  • Melting on the Greenland ice sheet.
  • The harm of fertilizers on fresh drinking water.
  • UAE nuclear power and environmental obstacles .
  • The results of tilling and fertilizing in the US.
  • The main food systems strategies in Europe.
  • Air pollution: Sources, effects, and prevention.
  • How soon will we run out of fresh water?
  • Overfishing as an environmental issue.
  • Radioctive waste management.

However, you probably would like to study some more specific issues in detail. We have selected a wide range of ecology subfields that you might be interested in. You just need to look through all the ecology essay topics in the lists and pick one!

Don’t forget that you can alter the topics as you wish.

🗂️ Taxonomic Ecology Research Topics

Taxonomy is the study aiming to classify all living and extinct organisms. That’s a lot, right?! However, there are particular methods in this field to make the process easier. The systems of botany and zoology divide all organisms into groups, which forms hierarchies. Moreover, there are internationally accepted systems, such as binominal nomenclature . Each of the living and dead bodies has its place in this system.

  • Historical analysis: What was the role of classifying medicinal plants in China in the later hydrological studies? It is not a surprise to the experts that creating catalogs goes back to ancient China. The main focus was on the most useful plants since they were used for medical purposes. However, it appears that such an approach also allowed some further hydrological studies.
  • How did Carolus Linnaeus develop his classification system known as nomenclature, and how is it different from Aristotle’s approach? If you look back to Aristotle’s attempts to classify all living organisms and compare them to the Linnaeus system, you can see that there is a catch. Linnaeus binomial nomenclature was a result of quite a few failures. Therefore, your main task for this essay would be to try and find out how the founder of modern taxonomy worked.
  • What are the main reasons that so many living organisms and their groups are still not identified and poorly studied? It may be hard to believe, but the vast majority of living things are not studied thoroughly. To make it more shocking, even more of them are not classified yet! As a specialist who wishes to do research or write a paper on taxonomy, your task will be to determine the main reasons for such occurrences.
  • Suggesting the course of specimen’s evolution: How successful usually the last step of the taxonomical method is? Modern taxonomical methods consist of several simple steps. It all begins with finding a specimen and then comparing it to the existing ones. The purpose is to find a suitable place for it in nomenclature. You need to see what of the available evidence helps identify the course of evolution and how accurate it usually is.
  • What are the reasons to believe that numerical taxonomy would be more effective and what may be the difficulties while using it? Some ecologists have a faith that numerical taxonomy can be somehow more effective. For this essay, you should be able to recognize the reasons they have for such claims. However, no method is perfect. There are a lot of contradictions around this one.
  • How different is the code for cultivated plants from the rest of them, and why it had to be established separately?
  • The differences between collecting and preserving techniques of two groups of organisms of your choice and difficulties of their observation.
  • Why do some taxonomy and genetics specialists say that each organism can only be classified if its genotype is available?
  • Classifying fossils : What appears to be the main issues if little is known about a fossil, and how does it result in phenetic classification?
  • The most effective ways to classify viruses as the organisms whose evolution and ancestral forms cannot be identified correctly.

Applied ecology, like any other applied discipline, uses knowledge to address real problems. These problems are not necessarily only ecological but rather combine aspects of different fields.

Applied Ecology Research Topics

Unlike some of the more theoretical subfields of ecology, applied ecology is where all the action happens. It studies how the newest ecological findings can be used for real-world issues. It appears that this area of research is also closely related to conservation ecology. Besides, applied ecology focuses on habitat and agroecosystem management, restoration ecology, and ecosystem restoration. This field is worth digging into, so we prepared some of the most interesting ecology topics in this section!

  • How much attention should be brought to the non-consumptive use of biota such as tourism in applied ecology? Applied ecology does not only focus on managing the natural resources that we need for survival. As humans, we use a lot of biota for recreational reasons. What is the perspective of applied ecology on such a use? Your task is to engage in the discussion on this topic!
  • What is the role of explicit timescales in applied ecology , and how are the management decisions are made under the pressure of time? Everyone knows that time is money. However, sometimes, much more important things depend on the time available. In applied ecology, specific time frames affect a lot of decisions and options. If you decide to choose this topic, you would need to focus on the issues that arise whenever there are strict time frames
  • Landscape-scale: How does the perspective change the methods used in applied ecology, and what is the use of large-scale view? It appears that a lot of things vary depending on the perspective. Applied ecology is not an exception. For example, when the specialists deal with forestry, they need to consider this aspect. In this case, many management issues are related to the processes found in relatively large areas.
  • Historical analysis: Where did the concept of carrying capacity originate from, and what does it have to do with cattle production on rangeland? This term is used in both basic and applied ecology and means the maximum population size that a particular environment manages to sustain. Many other definitions might highlight quite different aspects. However, your main task for this topic would be to look into the origins of this term in applied ecology.
  • The importance of studying the long-term environmental changes as they influence the higher levels of biological organization. By now, you can probably see how many vital issues applied ecology has to deal with daily. The topic of environmental changes is one of them. However, you might want to narrow it down and choose a specific species to consider. Moreover, if you need a more complex research topic, pick a particular environmental change.
  • Air pollution and how to solve this problem.
  • Limited information as one of the main challenges in applied ecology when making effective management decisions.
  • Global warming: Realities, challenges and solutions.
  • How useful are diatoms as the tools for exploring and interpreting applied ecology problems, and how are they used?
  • The soft-path approach for sustainable water management.
  • Waterfowls’ role in wetland habitats as the means of wetland restoration designs that can also benefit multiple other species.
  • Water treatment system for saline bores in Cape York .
  • A case study of the impact of specific pollutants that affect pollinator activity in road verges and how it concerns other species.
  • Sustainable gas production in the UAE.
  • Environment-friendly freight: An overview.
  • Renewable energy and sustainable development.
  • Climate change: How Exxon misled the public.
  • Eight methods of raw water purification.

Conservation Ecology Topics for Research

This branch of ecology had only recently started developing but already found some useful applications in the field. Conservation ecology deals with the means of preservation of biodiversity and natural resources. You may have heard about the current sixth extinction. Well, conservation ecology is one of the ways humanity uses to slow it down. This field uses other disciplines such as biogeography, environmental ethics, and even genetics. If you want to work with some of the most critical topics in ecology, check out the list below!

  • What agricultural practices have been presented as climate-smart but do not meet the requirements for helping climate change issues? Climate-smart agriculture techniques have been used in conservation ecology for a while now. The primary efforts are focused on supporting farmers by increasing productivity while reducing greenhouse gases and adapting to climate change. However, recently some of the climate-smart solutions that do not address those issues have been claimed to do so.
  • The influence of positive and negative framing in the campaigns that encourage people to support conservation ecology projects . When people tune in to the news about the ecological situation regarding biodiversity, all they hear is negativity. The predictions are quite discouraging since we are doomed to lose so many species, and the rates of extinction are increasing. However, what if the perspective was on the brighter side? Some organizations focus on the positive future that we can achieve by taking action right now.
  • What tools are used in marine protected areas to support sustainable use of that environment and the role of marine spatial planning in it? People do not usually associate marine spatial planning with the protected areas. However, this method helps analyze the marine space and inform the responsible divisions. It also appears that the areas that are vital for conservation reasons come as some of the most common data layers within the marine plans.
  • The conflict between the new and old approaches to conservational ecology and its effect on other academic disciplines. The specialists and supporters of conservation to protect nature have been divided into two groups. It seems like the new conservationists see this field as more adjustable and ready for changes. Simultaneously, the traditional values supporters prefer to stick to their established methods of managing ecosystems.
  • What methods can conservational ecology use to determine when and why a specific ecosystem reaches a critical resilience threshold? Ecosystems are adaptive structures, and they can bounce back after the disturbances and regain their functions. However, human activities cause ecosystems to become more vulnerable. The resilience is getting worse due to environmental thresholds such as biodiversity decrease and climate change. In your essay, you should study this question in detail.
  • From the perspective of conservational ecology, is it more important to focus on maintaining the evolutionary capacity or preserving current levels of diversity?
  • Global warming: Effects on the wildlife and conservation initiatives .
  • Changes in animal responses to climate and natural disturbances should now be considered normal and regular events during conservation projects.
  • What is the importance of thiamine and its availability to protect and conserve some species in the northern hemisphere?
  • The genetic pesticide control approach and the potential threats it may bring on the nontarget species.
  • Laser beams as the innovation aimed to help catch ocean fish and the issues with the speed of fish replenishing their populations.
  • Genetically modified organisms in farming.

Functional Ecology Topics

Functional ecology studies how ecosystems function. However, it is not the whole truth. The thing is that this subfield focuses on how different species influence the environment they inhabit. Special attention is brought to their natural traits. For example, the specialists would study how some plants’ defense mechanisms alter the way their ecosystems operate.

  • The significance of Charles Darwin’s works considering the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem health for modern functional ecology. Even though this topic has some historical hint to it, you would be mainly working on linking Charles Darwin’s works with the study of functional ecology how we know it today. Try to find some of his writings that directly connect to this issue and pick the main one. For example, On the Origin of Species might be a great start!
  • Case study: What are the reasons why, in some situations, diversity shows an adverse effect and slows down ecological productivity? In general, biodiversity is a good thing. It positively impacts the productivity of an ecosystem. Not only it regulates the most effective and efficient exchange of energy and matter, but it also helps produce extra resources useful for humans. However, nothing is perfect. Sometimes, it happens that diversity causes more issues than brings profits.
  • What are the benefits and potential threats of implying complex functional diversity models in larger scales in functional ecology? It seems like most of those models are usually applied on small scales. However, it is suggested that more functional groups of a particular species can positively affect the ecosystem functions. On the other hand, it is the idea that has some limitations. Your task would be to analyze those potential issues that may or may not occur.
  • How does functional ecology help in species detection and classification, and how is it different from other approaches? When the specialists try to detect a species, they measure and analyze its unique traits. However, the likelihood of a minor mistake is always there due to the limitation of such data. Therefore, some other approaches should be used instead of or in combination during such research. Functional ecology is a great help in this case.
  • Functional ecology and de-extinction: What aspects do researchers consider while planning on reintroducing an extinct species into an ecosystem? The science of de-extinction is very delicate . A full functional analysis needs to be performed before placing a species into the ecosystem that previously assisted in its extinction — no wonder the specialists need to include many aspects into such research. Your task for this topic is to look into them.
  • Functional ecology: The importance and applications of the understanding of ecosystems with the help of functional diversity.
  • Explaining climate science in the modern world: The role of humans in climate change.
  • What are the benefits and disadvantages of using screening and empiricism to study the species traits in functional ecology?
  • Genetically modified animals and their implications.
  • Functional ecology as the field at the crossroads of genetics, ecology, and evolutionary biology and the combination of the features those disciplines provide.
  • Genetically modified organisms in Canadian agriculture.
  • Functional ecology in nitrogen-limited grassland: How are plant species traits analyzed to check resource production capacity?
  • Evolution and natural selection in Darwin’s finches.
  • What is functional ecology in ecological preservation and restoration based on a chosen species considered ecosystem engineers?

🏜️🌊 Ecosystem Ecology

An ecosystem is a complex of living organisms. Ecosystem ecology studies not only the organisms themselves but also their physical environment. A significant focus of this subfield is all the interactions and dependencies that happen in a specific ecosystem.

Terrestrial Ecology Topics

The science of living organisms deals with massive areas. Terrestrial ecology is all about ecosystems based on land.

For example, a desert and a rainforest are in the focus of its study. However, terrestrial ecology covers a lot more details than you might expect. The experts look into all the living organisms in the chosen area, their interactions, and their role in the cycles.

  • The effects of extensive farming that led to the destruction of the vast majority of prairie grasslands in North America in the twentieth century.
  • Urban problems: environmental pollution .
  • Tall trees: How soon will all redwoods die out , and what would be the leading causes of their extinction?
  • Plant-herbivore and plant-plant interactions in trait-mediated ecology and their effects on a plant community structure in the Amazon rainforest.
  • Extreme weather patterns and climate change .
  • The correlation between the railroad construction in the Amazon rainforest and climate change regarding the carbon sink status.
  • Brazilian government reducing Amazon’s deforestation .
  • What are the leading natural and human-made causes of the floodplains’ build-up in land elevation, and how is this process explained?
  • Agriculture and global warming effects.
  • How are humans utilizing the cloud forest ecosystems, and what are the potential dangers that lead them to be endangered?
  • What are the pros and cons of building a road on the edge of the Amazon River from the perspective of survival of the great mahogany trees?
  • Transboundary pollution caused by oil and gas production .
  • The most effective way to protect the Amazon rainforest from the dangers of the construction of oil and gas blocks.
  • Terrestrial ecology marvels: how does the unique location and variations in elevation help the Madrean Archipelago stay biologically rich?
  • Consequences of the disposal of medical waste on the environment.
  • Deciduous trees in the cold northern taiga’s harsh area: What helps the larch survive extreme temperatures?
  • The use of studying plastic waste that ends up in the US’s terrestrial environments and the application of the results.
  • Effects of animal reburial on soil structure and water.
  • The negative influence of the rising temperatures and delayed snowmelt on sub-Arctic plants’ vegetative phenology, and ways to prevent them.
  • Impact of acid rain on environment.

Aquatic Ecology Topics

This sub-field is a counterpart of the terrestrial ecology.

Aquatic ecology is the study of ecosystems located in the different kinds of water. It focuses on the interactions of all the living organisms found in the bodies of water. Besides, aquatic ecology also considers the effects of temperature, oxygen, and nutrient concentration as the factors that directly affect the habitat. We would not be surprised if this section appears to contain some of the most interesting ecology topics!

  • Climate change in developing countries: The cost-effective tools aimed to help sustain freshwater ecosystem services as a replacement for standard conservation efforts.
  • Environmental economics: Water scarcity in Australia.
  • The case study comparing biodiversity in tropical and boreal streams with the intent to identify the differences in the patterns of beta diversity.
  • Climate change crisis and ocean threats.
  • How aquatic biota reacts to drivers while taking into consideration local scale variables and large-scale climatic ones.
  • Mars company and water sustainability issue.
  • How reliable can the bioindicators in freshwaters be, and what are the main environmental quality disruptors that can affect them?
  • The case study of the Baltic Sea area: Diatom functional biogeography from a trait-based approach.
  • Water pollution and treatment methods.
  • The arctic pond ecosystem diversity assessment and the main aspects influencing it, such as climate and catchment.
  • China’s rapid economic growth and its impact on water resources.
  • A research of the aquatic invertebrate digestion that gets helps from gut microbes and develops resistance to toxins related to gut fauna.
  • Water pollution : Movement of genes and degradation of the compounds from rare species into more common ones in lakes with organic toxins.
  • Oceans and coasts under climate change impacts.
  • The examples of trade-offs that may be involved in guarding native species in regulated rivers by trying to copy natural water discharge patterns.
  • The issue of plastic pollution affecting the ocean.
  • The main differences between fluxes and compartments in water cycles, and the kinds of units often used to describe them.
  • Analysis of the types and causes of water pollution .
  • A case study of conservation of aquatic resources in the US and its dangers from the economic perspective.
  • What organisms may be responsible for the unwanted methane production found in anoxic sediments in most aquatic habitats?
  • Impact of the global water crisis.

Microbial Ecology Research Topics

Even the tiniest living organisms influence our planet. Microbial ecology looks into microorganisms’ processes and how their communities colonize abiotic surfaces. Moreover, it is fascinating to learn how they interact with each other in that environment. The study of microbial ecology is quite broad. It covers micro-flora in animal and human guts, prokaryotes and eukaryotes with complex yet exciting relationships, and even genotypically complicated biofilms. Find out what other ecological topics you can study in this field!

  • What is the connection between antibiotics used by humans for medicinal properties and microbial communities in soil and freshwater?
  • Zika virus as a public health threat.
  • Microbial species distributed regarding climate alternations and their influence on human health and food security .
  • Microbial diversity: How much did we lose due to the effects of monoculture, and why this issue is so essential for our future?
  • Epidemiology: Human immunodeficiency virus .
  • Agriculture and microbial ecology: The adverse long-term effects of agrochemicals and antibiotic usage on microbial communities’ farming.
  • What are the potential ways that the microbiomes found in wildlife and can be used for health enhancements and disease treatments?
  • Microbe covered in the news: An analysis.
  • The network theory and its potential applications in the prediction and management of infections in animals and plants.
  • Microbial ecology: The importance of the internalization of bacterial pathogens with the help of protozoa regarding their survival and spread rates?
  • Infectious diseases: The virus of Salmonella.
  • Microbial ecology and hosts: What evolutionary changes in microbiomes can help hosts adapt to environmental change while the host is alive?
  • A case study: What is the potential use of the associated microbiota for the effective risk assessments related to invasive and non-native species?
  • The coronavirus infection: Impact on the World.
  • Climate change and microbial ecology : The cascading effects of ocean acidification, rising sea levels, and temperature on microbial diversity and its function?
  • Manipulation of microbial succession as an effective way of repopulating soils with poor species diversity by flora and fauna.
  • The public health and the Omicron virus relationship.
  • What is functional redundancy, and how is it represented in microbial communities regarding its effects on diversity and niche overlap measures?
  • What are the ecological rules and principles of microbial communities’ structure, and do they follow the same ones found in other organizations?
  • Epidemiology: Zika virus.
  • The benefits of creating an open-access database or integrating the existing ones as a centralized way for data sharing in microbial ecology.
  • Hepatitis B virus in the United States.

Population Ecology Topics

As we all know population can either grow or decrease. The study that deals with the levels of species populations is called populational ecology. It tries to explain how they interact with the environment. One of this sub-field aims is to track and examine such aspects of population rates as birth, death, and migration processes. The dynamics of species are constantly changing in different areas, and it is essential to track and analyze them. Dive into this study!

  • The importance of plant populations for conservation biology : The most effective ways to study the functioning for future conservation plans.
  • What is the correlation between dispersal and population ecology aspects such as habitat quality, connectivity of local populations, and population regulations?
  • The effect of sampling short and long distances and its frequency on the quality of capture-recapture data used for dispersal estimation.
  • Density dependence: Competition for resources between multiple organizations that occupied the niche as a determining and obligatory force for survival.
  • What forces influence specific plants’ fecundity, and how is it related to the fitness of different population variants?
  • Why do populations that delay reproduction tend to have better survival chances than those that try to leave offspring early?
  • The main reasons for high mortality throughout the first year of life and lower rates in the following years among passerine birds .
  • What rates do population ecologists use to analyze population growth and estimate the possible effects of conservation on endangered species?
  • Except for food availability and predation, what other environmental factors influence geometric and exponential growths of populations?
  • A case study: Observe a link between the regularity of fluctuations in population size and specific predators’ activities.
  • How much can populations of weeds and pests expand with their enemies’ absence after being released in the new environment?
  • The impact of river water on wheat plant growth .

Organismal ecology focuses on specific individual organisms and, more importantly, their interactions with the physical environment. Researchers of this field study how particular organisms interact with each other and change their behavior over time.

Evolutionary Ecology Topics for Research

Evolutionary ecology looks into how species evolve and adapt to environmental changes. Mainly it focuses on predators, prey, and mutualists. Evolution studies how species change genetically over generations but rarely attempts to question the underlying mechanisms. Evolutionary ecology is what aims to find those answers. Therefore, if you’re fascinated by how prey adapts to avoid death from predators, this section is for you! Find some of the finest topics in ecology below.

  • Climate change and evolutionary ecology: The harmful effects of too high temperatures in deserts on male and female ostrich fertility.
  • Climate change impact on business activity in Malawi.
  • Risk management in evolutionary ecology: What adaptations have female sea turtles made to prevent large clutch losses?
  • What may be the role of a tsunami in promoting a gene flow and improving genetic diversity regarding endangered plant species?
  • Air pollution: Causes, effects and solutions .
  • The impact of humans frequently feeding wild birds on their transition to urbanized environments and its effect on population size.
  • A study of marine invertebrates and resilience: Does protecting their offspring increase their chances to overcome ocean acidification?
  • Global warming: Causes and mitigation strategies.
  • The first northwest Chinese farmers exploiting grain-fed pheasants and the effects of such management practices on animals’ domestication.
  • Coexisting cryptic species: The study of evolutionary ecology forces that play a role in coexistence and coevolution of the fig and pollinator.
  • Environmental health and health effects of environmental change.
  • Dietary plasticity: What kinds of competitive pressures may have caused the signs of dental caries to appear in the fossils of an extinct bear?
  • Fruit flies and predator-specific responses to olfactory cues: What are the costs imposed on general activity and reproductive behavior?
  • Climate change’s impacts on the Arab world.
  • Incomplete dominance on an amphibian model example: What are the best ways to study the genetically determined tolerance?
  • Global warming as costs of environmental degradation.
  • What may be the phylogenetic implications of crocodilians’ response: Skin color alterations regarding environmental color conditions?
  • Climate change & global warming: Universal mitigation strategies.
  • Climate change and evolutionary ecology: The case of adaptive evolution of a sexually selected trait in a specific wild bird.
  • Global warming: Future summers.

Behavioral Ecology Topics for Research

This sub-field of ecology might seem hard to understand. However, we always know how to make things easier! Behavioral ecology studies how organisms interact with each other and the environment. In most cases, it concerns evolutional processes. Long story short, if you choose this area, you will be analyzing how species cooperate and compete with each other.

  • What pattern does the chosen species follow to transmit vital information, navigate, and respond to environmental variables effectively?
  • The differences between the males’ mating strategies within a chosen species and the effects on their chances of producing offspring.
  • The main reasons why the life cycles of migratory birds’ species are greatly affected by the cycles of habitats they choose as targets.
  • Why are fluctuating resources exploited more efficiently while species migrate between trophic levels to look for food and better breeding environments?
  • Studying animal neural processes and communication: What is the importance of such traits as participation in cooperative activities within animal groups?
  • What are the main reasons for animals to make signals and attract the attention of the direct members of their species and share the food source?
  • The correlation between the choice of parenting style and population: the example of invertebrates that have no parental care and produce many eggs.
  • What motivates cuckoos to be such an aggressive parasite since they eject all the hatchlings out of the nest?
  • Infanticide among male lions: How to prove the theory that killing the cubs in the new pride helps females start reproducing faster?
  • Economic dependability as the central aspect of behavioral ecology: The imbalance in the costs and benefits as the cause of territorial behavior.
  • Desertion as the main parental care pattern in most birds: how much do population and environmental factors influence desertion rates?
  • What are the examples of highly altruistic behavior in the animal species of your choice that increases their fitness levels?
  • Foraging as the most common technique to find food: The correlation between the efficiency of social foraging and ‘intelligence’ in animals.
  • Studying behavior in invertebrates (sow bugs) .
  • The impact of deforestation on biodiversity and the environment.
  • The effectiveness of different renewable energy sources in reducing carbon emissions.
  • How does urban planning promote sustainable and eco-friendly cities?
  • Marine conservation and its impact on the oceans.
  • The relationship between pollution and public health.
  • The challenges and opportunities of sustainable agriculture.
  • The effects of climate change on global wildlife populations.
  • How does indigenous knowledge help preserve ecosystems?
  • The environmental impact of single-use plastics and potential solutions.
  • The intersection of gender, race, and class in environmental justice.
  • How does climate change affect food security?
  • Government policies in addressing environmental issues.
  • The future of eco-friendly transportation.
  • The relationship between human population growth and ecological sustainability.
  • What is the connection between water scarcity and human conflict?

🚵 Human Ecology Topics

  • Is there a relationship between human health and ecological systems?
  • The effects of globalization on human ecology and the environment.
  • How does technology shape human interactions with the natural world?
  • The effects of cultural practices on environmental sustainability.
  • Biodiversity loss and its consequences for human societies.
  • The impact of industrialization on human-nature interactions.
  • The psychology of environmental behavior and its impact on human ecology.
  • The role of education in promoting sustainable human-nature relationships.
  • The relationship between food systems and human ecology.
  • What are the effects of human migration on ecological systems?
  • Technological innovations and their potential to address environmental challenges.
  • The future of sustainable cities and their role in human ecology.
  • How do consumer behavior and material culture influence human ecology?
  • The intersection of environmental justice and human ecology in marginalized communities.
  • The relationship between mental health and nature in the context of human ecology.

🪵 Ecology Topics for Presentation

  • How does climate change influence polar ecosystems?
  • Bees and their contribution to ecosystem sustainability.
  • The conservation of endangered species and ecosystem health.
  • How does deforestation influence global climate?
  • The effects of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems.
  • The role of ecotourism in conserving ecosystems.
  • Ecological footprint and its impact on ecosystems.
  • Ways of engaging communities in ecological monitoring.
  • The role of predator-prey interactions in ecosystem dynamics.
  • The importance of wetlands in ecological conservation.
  • The patterns and significance of ecological succession.
  • Strategies for rehabilitating degraded ecosystems.
  • The future of ecosystem conservation in the face of climate change.
  • Ecological implications of renewable energy development.
  • The impact of noise pollution on terrestrial ecosystems.

🌳 Plant Ecology Topics for Presentation

  • The role of fungi in forest ecosystems.
  • The effects of climate change on plant communities.
  • Mutualistic interactions between plants and pollinators.
  • Plant-soil feedback and their ecological significance.
  • The influence of herbivory on plant community dynamics.
  • Evolutionary adaptations of plants to their ecological niches.
  • Plant-soil interactions in ecosystem functioning.
  • Plant community assembly and succession in ecological systems.
  • The ecological significance of seed dispersal mechanisms.
  • Plant-pollinator coevolution and its impact on ecological communities.
  • Plant adaptations to fire-prone ecosystems.
  • The ecological significance of plant-microbe interactions.
  • How do plants mediate ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling?
  • Ecological implications of plant phenology and seasonal dynamics.
  • Impacts of urbanization on plant ecology and biodiversity.

🕵️ BONUS: Interesting Ecology Topics Resources

In case you cannot find anything that catches your attention, there are other sources of inspiration. The best ideas usually come from the themed magazines and scientific journals. They have fresh materials to help you navigate and check the most recent discoveries on your interest topic.

  • Nature ecology & evolution
  • Collection of Top 100 Most Downloaded Ecology Topics; nature. com
  • ScienceDaily; Ecology News
  • TheScientist; Ecology & Environment
  • World Wide Fund for Nature
  • The Ecologist
  • Earth Magazine
  • The Environmental Magazine
  • Discover Magazine
  • Mother Earth News

Wow! You are a hero if you read all topics.

Hopefully, you were not scared with the complicated language of some of them.

Did you manage to find your theme? Or did you get inspired for writing?

Anyway, this was a helpful paper, offering multiple ways to explore ecology and its wide variety of questions.

That’s it, dear friends.

Good luck with all your writings 😊

414 Proposal Essay Topics for Projects, Research, & Proposal Arguments

725 research proposal topics & title ideas in education, psychology, business, & more.

StatAnalytica

Nature’s Secrets: Top 200 Ecology Research Topics

Ecology Research Topics

Welcome to the world of Ecology, where the study of nature evolves like an interesting story. Ecology helps us solve the complex relationships between living organisms and their environments. In this fascinating journey, we will see ecology research topics that reveal the secrets of ecosystems, biodiversity, and the delicate balance of nature. 

From understanding how different species react to the impact of human activities on our planet, Ecology offers insights that go beyond the ordinary. 

So, whether you’re fascinated by the web of life in a forest, the dynamics of a coral reef, or the challenges of conservation, these research topics will guide you into the heart of ecological wonders. Let’s start this adventure of knowledge, discovering the hidden secrets that shape the world around us.

Make academic challenges a thing of the past! Our Service offers expert assistance, ensuring you submit outstanding assignments every time.

What Is Ecology?

Table of Contents

Ecology is the study of how living things interact with each other and their environment. It explores relationships between plants, animals, and their surroundings, helping us understand how nature works and how different elements in ecosystems connect.

What Are The 6 Topics Studied In Ecology?

Ecology studies the relationships between living things and their environment. Here are six topics studied in ecology:

ecology related essay

  • Ecosystems: Examining how living organisms, like plants and animals, interact with each other and their non living surroundings, such as soil, water, and air.
  • Biodiversity: Analyzing the variety of life in different ecosystems, including the number and types of species present.
  • Population Dynamics: Understanding how the numbers of individuals in a species change over time, including factors like birth rates, death rates, and migration.
  • Community Interactions: Exploring how different species in a specific area interact with each other, such as through competition or cooperation.
  • Ecological Succession: Studying the increasing changes in ecosystems over time, including how new communities of plants and animals replace older ones.
  • Conservation Biology: Focusing on protecting and preserving ecosystems and species, especially those facing threats or endangerment.

Top 200 Ecology Research Topics

Now the wait is over and here we will be listing top 200 ecology research topics. And they are as:

Top 10 Ecology Research Topics On Biodiversity Conservation

  • Conservation Genetics and its Role in Biodiversity Preservation
  • Ecological Consequences of Habitat Fragmentation on Biodiversity
  • Monitoring and Assessing Biodiversity in Changing Landscapes
  • Conservation Strategies for Endangered Species
  • The Significance of Protected Areas in Biodiversity Conservation
  • Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity Conservation
  • Citizen Science Initiatives in Biodiversity Monitoring
  • Integrating Indigenous Knowledge in Biodiversity Conservation
  • Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity and Conservation Measures
  • Human-Wildlife Conflict and its Implications for Biodiversity Conservation

Top 10 Research Topics On Climate Change Impacts

  • Climate Change Effects on Biodiversity and Ecosystems
  • Influence of Climate Change on Global Water Resources
  • Rising Sea Levels and Coastal Ecosystem Vulnerability
  • Climate Change Affects on Agriculture and Food Security
  • Extreme Weather Events and their Ecological Consequences
  • Ocean Acidification: Ecological and Marine Life Impacts
  • Changes in Species Distribution by Climate Change
  • Climate Change and Migration Patterns of Wildlife
  • Effects of Climate Change on Polar and Alpine Ecosystems
  • Climate Change and Human Health: Ecological Perspectives

Top 10 Ecology Research Topics On Habitat Restoration

  • Ecosystem Recovery after Habitat Disturbance
  • Effects of Restoration Techniques on Soil Health
  • Ecological Succession in Restored Habitats
  • Invasive Species Management in Restoration Projects
  • Role of Native Plant Species in Habitat Restoration
  • Impact of Restoration on Wildlife Communities
  • Community Engagement in Urban Habitat Restoration
  • Restoration of Wetland Ecosystems and Biodiversity
  • Historical Ecology and its Role in Habitat Restoration
  • Evaluating Long-Term Success of Habitat Restoration Projects

Top 10 Research Topics On Ecosystem Services

  • Valuation of Ecosystem Services for purpose of Sustainable Resource Management
  • Biodiversity’s Role in Providing Ecosystem Services
  • Climate Change Impacts on Ecosystem Services
  • Urban Ecosystem Services and Green Infrastructure
  • Cultural Ecosystem Services: Linking Nature and Well-being
  • Watershed Services: Sustainable Water Resource Management
  • Forest Ecosystem Services and Sustainable Forestry Practices
  • Marine Ecosystem Services: Conservation and Management
  • Agricultural Practices and Ecosystem Service Delivery
  • Restoration Ecology for Enhancing Ecosystem Services

Top 10 Ecology Research Topics On Wildlife Ecology

  • Behavior and Social Structure of Wild Animal Populations
  • Conservation Genetics in Wildlife Management
  • Human-Wildlife Conflict and Mitigation Strategies
  • Wildlife Habitat Use and Selection
  • Effects of Climate Change on Wildlife Ecology
  • Wildlife Disease Ecology and Emerging Infectious Diseases
  • Predator-Prey Dynamics in Natural Ecosystems
  • Movement Ecology and Migration Patterns
  • Wildlife Monitoring Techniques and Technology
  • Restoration Ecology for Wildlife Habitat Enhancement

Top 10 Ecology Research Topics On Marine Ecology

  • Coral Reef Resilience and Conservation
  • Marine Biodiversity in Deep-Sea Ecosystems
  • Ocean Acidification & its Impact on Marine Life
  • Fisheries Management for Sustainable Marine Ecology
  • Marine Protected Areas and Conservation Strategies
  • Plastic Pollution & its impact on Marine Ecosystems
  • Seabird Ecology and Conservation
  • Mangrove Ecosystems: Function and Conservation
  • Climate Change Impacts on Marine Ecosystems
  • Seagrass Ecology and Restoration efforts in Coastal Areas

Top 10 Research Topics On Urban Ecology

  • Urban Biodiversity and Conservation Strategies
  • Green Spaces & Ecosystem Services in Urban Environments
  • Urban Heat Island Effect and Mitigation Measures
  • Urban Wildlife Ecology and Human-Wildlife Interactions
  • Sustainable Urban Planning and Design for Ecosystem Health
  • Urban Agriculture: Impacts on Biodiversity and Food Security
  • Air Quality and Urban Tree Canopy: A Nexus in Urban Ecology
  • Stormwater Management and Ecological Solutions in Urban Areas
  • Urbanization Effects on Microbial Communities in Soil
  • Citizen Science Contributions to Urban Ecology Research

Top 10 Ecology Research Topics On Forest Ecology

  • Old-Growth Forest Ecology and Conservation
  • Forest Fragmentation and its Impact on Biodiversity
  • Fire Ecology: Natural Processes and Human Intervention
  • Forest Carbon Sequestration and Climate Change Mitigation
  • Dynamics of Tree-Soil Interactions in Forest Ecosystems
  • Invasive Species Management in Forested Landscapes
  • Forest Restoration Ecology and Reforestation Strategies
  • Effects of Logging and Timber Harvesting on Forest Ecology
  • Microbial Communities in Forest Soils: Diversity and Function
  • Ecological Consequences of Climate Change in Forested Regions

Top 10 Research Topics On Invasive Species Management

  • Ecological Impacts of Invasive Species
  • Mechanisms of Invasion Success
  • Early Detection and Rapid Response Strategies
  • Effects of Climate Change on Invasive Species Dynamics
  • Management Strategies for Aquatic Invasive Species
  • Biological Control of Invasive Species
  • Evolutionary Responses in Invasive Species
  • Community-Level Impacts of Invasive Species
  • Economic Costs and Benefits of Invasive Species Management
  • Restoration Ecology After Invasive Species Removal

Top 10 Ecology Research Topics On Conservation Genetics

  • Genetic Diversity and Conservation of Endangered Species
  • Population Genetics of Rare and Threatened Plants
  • Conservation Genomics in Wildlife Management
  • Genetic Adaptation to Changing Environments
  • Genomic Approaches in Assessing Inbreeding Depression
  • Landscape Genetics and Habitat Connectivity
  • Genetic Monitoring for Effective Conservation
  • Genomic Tools in Studying Hybridization and Introgression
  • Conservation Genetics of Migratory Species
  • Genetic Markers for Non-Invasive Monitoring of Wildlife

Top 10 Research Topics On Landscape Ecology

  • Spatial Patterns and Dynamics in Landscape Ecology
  • Connectivity and Fragmentation of Landscape
  • Urbanization and its Impact on Landscape Structure
  • Landscape Heterogeneity and Biodiversity Conservation
  • Ecosystem Services in the Context of Landscape Ecology
  • Remote Sensing and GIS Applications in Landscape Ecology
  • Modeling Landscape Change and Future Scenarios
  • Landscape Ecology and Climate Change Impacts
  • Land-Use Change Effects on Landscape Patterns
  • Resilience and Sustainability in Landscape Ecology

Top 10 Ecology Research Topics On Agroecology

  • Sustainable Farming Practices for Agroecosystem Health
  • Agroecology and Biodiversity Conservation in Agricultural Landscapes
  • Soil Health and Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems
  • Organic Farming Systems: Ecological Impacts and Benefits
  • Agroecological Approaches to Pest Management
  • Agroforestry Systems and Ecosystem Services
  • Climate-Resilient Agriculture in Agroecological Frameworks
  • Indigenous and Traditional Agro Ecological Knowledge
  • Integrating Livestock into Agroecosystems for Sustainability
  • Socioeconomic Dimensions of Agroecological Transition

Top 10 Research Topics On Ecological Modeling

  • Spatial and Temporal Dynamics in Ecological Models
  • Integrating Climate Change in Ecological Modeling
  • Agent-Based Modeling in Ecological Studies
  • Ecological Network Models: Structure and Dynamics
  • Predictive Modeling for Conservation Planning
  • Individual-Based Models in Animal Behavior Ecology
  • Dynamic Energy Budget Models in Population Ecology
  • Bayesian Approaches in Ecological Modeling
  • Ecological Niche Modeling for Species Distribution
  • Coupling Ecological and Economic Models for Sustainability

Top 10 Ecology Research Topics On Environmental Pollution

  • Affects of Air Pollution on Ecosystems and Human Health
  • Microplastics in Aquatic Ecosystems: Sources and Effects
  • Soil Pollution and its Consequences for Terrestrial Ecology
  • Noise Pollution and its Effects on Wildlife Behavior
  • Heavy Metal Contamination in Urban Ecosystems
  • Emerging Contaminants: Pharmaceuticals in the Environment
  • Pesticide Pollution and Agricultural Ecosystems
  • Oil Spills and Marine Ecosystems: Recovery and Resilience
  • Plastic Waste in Marine Environments: Ecological Impacts
  • Urbanization and its Role in Environmental Pollution

Top 10 Research Topics On Ecotourism Impact

  • Ecotourism and Biodiversity Conservation
  • Socioeconomic Impacts of Ecotourism on Local Communities
  • Sustainable Practices in Ecotourism Operations
  • Wildlife Disturbance and Ecotourism: Balancing Conservation
  • Ecotourism and Cultural Heritage Preservation
  • Assessing the Environmental Footprint of Ecotourism
  • Ecotourism and Sustainable Resource Management
  • Community Involvement in Ecotourism Development
  • Monitoring and Mitigating Ecotourism Impacts on Fragile Ecosystems
  • Ecotourism Certification and Standards for Responsible Tourism

Top 10 Ecology Research Topics On Plant Ecology

  • Plant-Animal Interactions and Mutualistic Relationships
  • Impacts of Climate Change on Plant Communities
  • Plant Functional Traits and Ecosystem Functioning
  • Plant-Insect Interactions: Pollination and Herbivory
  • Dynamics of Plant Communities in Disturbed Habitats
  • Plant Defense Mechanisms Against Herbivores
  • Allelopathy: Chemical Interactions among Plants
  • Plant Invasions and their Ecological Consequences
  • Influence of Soil Microbes on Plant Health and Diversity
  • Role of Mycorrhizal Fungi in Plant Ecology

Top 10 Research Topics On Evolutionary Ecology

  • Adaptation and Evolutionary Dynamics in Changing Environments
  • Coevolutionary Interactions between Species
  • Evolutionary Consequences of Mutualistic Relationships
  • Evolutionary Ecology of Life History Strategies
  • Evolutionary Responses to Anthropogenic Stressors
  • Evolutionary Ecology of Invasive Species
  • Historical Biogeography and Evolutionary Patterns
  • Evolutionary Ecology of Plant-Animal Interactions
  • Evolutionary Drivers of Biodiversity
  • Evolutionary Consequences of Climate Change

Top 10 Ecology Research Topics On Freshwater Ecology

  • Biodiversity and Conservation of Freshwater Ecosystems
  • Aquatic Macroinvertebrates as Bioindicators of Water Quality
  • Effects of Climate Change on Freshwater Ecology
  • Nutrient Cycling in Freshwater Environments
  • Impact of Invasive Species on Freshwater Ecosystems
  • Dynamics of Aquatic Food Webs in Lakes and Rivers
  • Restoration Ecology of Freshwater Habitats
  • Ecological Consequences of Dams and Water Management
  • Microbial Communities in Freshwater Environments
  • Threats to Freshwater Ecosystems: Pollution and Habitat Loss

Top 10 Research Topics On Microbial Ecology

  • Microbial Diversity in Natural Environments
  • Microbial Interactions in Soil Ecosystems
  • Human Microbiome and Health
  • Microbial Ecology of Extreme Environments
  • Microbes in Aquatic Ecosystems: Dynamics and Roles
  • Microbial Communities in Plant Rhizospheres
  • Microbial Biogeography and Distribution Patterns
  • Impact of Climate Change on Microbial Ecology
  • Microbial Responses to Pollution and Environmental Stress
  • Microbial Roles in Biogeochemical Cycling

Top 10 Ecology Research Topics On Sustainable Agriculture

  • Agroecological Practices for Sustainable Farming
  • Soil Health Management in Sustainable Agriculture
  • Water Conservation Strategies in Agricultural Systems
  • Organic Farming: Impacts on Ecology and Sustainability
  • Integrated Pest Management for Sustainable Agriculture
  • Biodiversity Enhancement through Crop Rotation
  • Agroforestry: Integrating Trees into Agricultural Landscapes
  • Climate-Smart Agriculture Approaches
  • Efficient Nutrient Management in Sustainable Farming
  • Sustainable Livestock Farming Practices

Top 50 Ecology Essay Topics

In addition to the above topics we are giving you a bonus of top 50 ecology essay topics based on different categories and they are as:

Top 10 Essay Research Topics On Environmental Sustainability

  • Climate Change Impacts and Mitigation Strategies
  • Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Restoration
  • Sustainable Agriculture Practices
  • Renewable Energy Solutions
  • Waste Management and Circular Economy
  • Urban Planning for Sustainable Cities
  • Water Conservation and Management
  • Environmental Policies and Governance
  • Corporate Social Responsibility in Sustainability
  • Indigenous Knowledge and Practices in Environmental Sustainability

Top 10 Essay Research Topics On Social Justice and Equity

  • Racial Inequality and Systemic Racism
  • Gender Equality and Women’s Rights
  • LGBTQ+ Rights and Inclusivity
  • Economic Disparities and Poverty
  • Access to Education: Challenges and Solutions
  • Criminal Justice Reform and Fair Policing
  • Disability Rights and Inclusion
  • Indigenous Rights and Land Sovereignty
  • Immigration Policies and Human Rights
  • Healthcare Disparities: Addressing Equity in Access and Treatment

Top 10 Essay Research Topics On Technology and Society

  • Ethical Implications of Artificial Intelligence
  • Digital Privacy and Security Concerns
  • Impact of Social Media on Society
  • The Role of Technology in Education
  • Automation and the Future of Work
  • Cybersecurity Challenges and Solutions
  • Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Cities
  • Biotechnology and Bioethics
  • Technology and Healthcare: Advancements and Concerns
  • Accessibility and Inclusivity in Technological Innovations

Top 10 Essay Research Topics On Health and Wellness

  • Mental Health Stigma and Awareness
  • Healthcare Disparities in Underserved Communities
  • Impact of Technology on Mental Health
  • Lifestyle Factors and Chronic Disease Prevention
  • Access to Affordable Healthcare
  • Public Health Strategies for Disease Prevention
  • Global Health Challenges and Solutions
  • Integrative Medicine and Holistic Health Approaches
  • Nutrition and its Role in Overall Wellness
  • Aging Population: Health Challenges and Innovations

Top 10 Essay Research Topics On Global Economic Trends

  • The Impact of Globalization on Economic Inequality
  • Sustainable Development Goals and Economic Growth
  • Technological Advancements and Economic Transformation
  • Trade Wars and their Effects on Global Economies
  • The Rise of Gig Economy and Changing Workforce Dynamics
  • Financial Inclusion and Economic Empowerment
  • COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on Global Economic Trends
  • Green Finance and Environmental Sustainability in Economics
  • Economic Policies for Post-Pandemic Recovery
  • The Role of Emerging Markets in Shaping Global Economic Trends

As we conclude our exploration of Ecology Research Topics, we’ve uncovered a big collection of subjects into the wonders of our natural world. From studying Biodiversity Conservation to researching Microbial Ecology, these topics offer a deeper understanding of the balance of our ecosystems. 

In addition to these research topics, we’ve provided a bonus of 50 Ecology Essay Topics, adding more layers to your knowledge. Remember, Ecology is like solving nature’s puzzle, and each topic contributes to revealing its secrets. 

We’ve also touched upon the six fundamental topics in Ecology, providing a foundation for your ecological journey. So, let curiosity be your guide, and explore the mysteries that our planet holds.

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122 Best Ecology Topics To Sparkle Your Writing

ecology topics

Global warming, climate change, and environmental conservation are the center of discussion worldwide; ecology is undoubtedly a fascinating academic field.

However, selecting ecology research topics that you can comfortably handle, find a wide range of relevant sources, and earn stellar grades can be a painstaking process for many college students.

Yet, there are several sources of inspiration for your ecology essay topics. You can evaluate your coursework to find ecology research ideas that will impress your educator. Similarly, you are free to refer to daily life events or check out different news items. If you are struggling to develop a good topic, do not lose heart. We have put together a great list of ecology topics just for you.

Top Ecology Research Paper Topics

  • Discuss practical ways to curb the emission of carbon dioxide into the environment
  • What are some of the proven methods to make the environment more sustainable?
  • Look into how climate change impacts the evolutionary change in managed and natural biodiversity.
  • Examine how ecologists can effectively keep safe marine species that are at risk of extinction
  • What is psychological ecology, and what are some of its importance to humans
  • Analyze the impact of climate change in plant and animal species in the 21 st century
  • Exploring green roofs: Break down their working design and look at why they need to be incorporated.
  • In what ways can we ultimately adopt renewable sources of energy
  • Break down the principles of competitive exclusion and highlight its advantages
  • What are the main methods of recycling waste paper more effectively
  • Herbicides: Evaluate the effectiveness and potential side effect of various weed killers
  • What are the best approaches to measure and evaluate the impact of climate change?
  • Pollution: Find out whether human damage to the environment is reversible
  • Analyze the magnitude of fracking on the environment
  • Explore the impact of acid rain on aquatic life

First-Class Ecology Topics For Presentation

  • What are some of the latest technologies incorporated in making hazardous waste less harmful?
  • Highlight how different species can survive the harshest conditions created by pollution.
  • Are fertilizers worth it? Discuss the detrimental impacts of fertilizers on the aquatic environment
  • How can plants help to measure tap water quality?
  • What is the correlation between intelligence in animal and the efficiency of social foraging
  • Outline examples of highly altruistic behavior in lions and how it affects their fitness levels.
  • Look into how environmental factors and population affect desertion rates in birds.
  • Economic dependability as the central aspect of behavioral ecology: the imbalance in the cost and benefits as the cause of territorial behavior
  • Prove the theory that killing the cubs of a new pride enables females to start reproducing at a fast rate
  • Look into the link between population and the choice of parenting style among animals.
  • What are the main reasons why animals make signals to share food sources and attract direct members of their species?
  • Animal communication and neural process: Discuss the importance of traits like participation in cooperation activities in animal groups
  • Examine whether the processes impact the life cycle of migratory birds’ species if habits they choose to live in

Latest Ecology Project Ideas For College

  • What are the differences between mating strategies in lions, and how does it impact producing offspring?
  • Outline patterns used by birds to navigate, respond to the environment effectively and transmit vital information.
  • Evolutionary ecology and climate change: a case study of adaptive evolution of sexually selected traits in eagles
  • Evaluate the best methods of studying tolerance
  • Study evolutionary ecology forces that affect the coevolution and coexistence of the pollinator and the fig
  • What is the implication of humans frequently feeding wild birds on their population size and transition to urban environments?
  • Effects of natural calamities on genetic diversity and gene flow in endangered animal species
  • Impacts of extreme desert temperatures on the fertility of male and female ostriches
  • What measure can ensure turtles do not incur significant clutch losses
  • Observe the relationship between the regulatory of fluctuations in population size and specific activities among predators
  • Highlight the main reason for instability in mortality rates among passerine birds
  • What forces determine fecundity in aquatic plants?
  • Highlight ways to market an eco-friendly product in the modern-day
  • What are the major ecological problems impacting the African savanna today
  • Discuss ways by which human consumerism is detrimental to the environment
  • What are the leading causes of dead zones in seas
  • Explain the formation of different types of reefs
  • Break down the formation of salt marshes
  • Examine eutrophication and its implications
  • Outline the bright side if the natural green effect
  • Discuss the difference between the nitrogen cycle and the phosphorus cycle

Ecological Topics For Environmentalists

  • Evaluate the principle of competitive exclusion and mention valid examples
  • Evaluate the implications of pollution on the tundra
  • Highlight the effects of hydrogen peroxide in a plant’s root
  • Explain different methods used by ecologists to protect marine species that are at risk
  • Describe the philosophy behind agrarianism
  • Outline the primary methods used to measure the impact of climate change in the world.
  • Examine how climate change has impacted the migration pattern of monarch butterflies
  • Break down the evolution of human social complexity
  • What are the adverse effects of high atmospheric CO2 content on plants
  • Examine how human activities bring about an imbalance in biogeochemical cycling
  • What is the link between the migration of species and global warming?
  • What are the implications of mosquito eradication on the environment?
  • Point out the effects of overharvesting on the environment
  • Discuss the concept of extinction debts and their causes
  • Explain the principle of competitive exclusion
  • Explain the importance of preventive engineering strategy on industrial ecology
  • What is ecological footprint, and how is it measured?
  • What is eco-efficiency?
  • Define biodiversity and explain its importance to the environment
  • What is conservation biology, and how important is this field?

Human Ecology Topics

  • Evaluate different types of symbiotic relationships
  • Point out the primary sources of air pollution
  • Highlight the key reasons why a country may ignore serious environmental concerns
  • What are the indirect and direct values of biodiversity?
  • Discuss sustainable agroecology in temperature ecosystems
  • What is the origin and application of social ecology?
  • Outline the significant components of gastric macrobiotic
  • What is estuary ecology
  • Study black smokers and outline their importance to marine life
  • Evaluate the ecology of Chinese megacities and explain if they are safe for the human population
  • Discuss the long term environmental implications of the Chernobyl disaster
  • How can we control plastic pollution in the sea?
  • What is media ecology, and how important is it in environmental conservation?
  • Discuss diversity and stream morphology
  • Break down the hydrologic cycle
  • Is it possible to do away with non-renewable energy sources entirely?

Top-Rated Ecology Research Paper Topics

  • Examine whether the deep ecology movement can be a religion
  • What methods can combat ecological catastrophes
  • What is the link between the Columbian exchange and ecology
  • Highlight strategies that can solve overconsumption
  • What is the purpose of factorial ecology?
  • Investigating endangered species and possible ways to alter their extinction
  • Studying evolutionary systems and the process of a microorganism
  • Analyze how the destruction of natural habitats by humans affects the rates of the sixth mass extinction
  • What are the significant reasons why less than ten percent of plastic ever produced is recycled?

Creative Ecology Research Project Ideas

  • Explain why some genetics and taxonomy specialists claim each organism can only be classified if its genotype is available
  • What is the importance of thiamine and its availability to conserve and protect animal species in the northern hemisphere?
  • Discuss the significance of Charles Darwin’s works considering the implications of biodiversity on ecosystem health for modern functional ecology
  • Examine why functional ecology helps in the classification and detection and how it differs from other approaches
  • Analyze the link between railroad construction in the Amazon rainforest and climate change as it relates to carbon sink status
  • Outline the leading artificial and natural causes of floodplains build-up in land elevation
  • Water pollution: movement of genes and degradation of the compounds from rare species into more common ones in lakes with organic toxins
  • Is it necessary for the US to ban the use of plastics to protect delicate ecosystems?

Ecology Issues Topic Ideas

  • Do governments need to enact new laws to curb the use of energy produced by fossil fuels?
  • Tectonic movements: What impacts do they have on the environment?
  • Investigate whether global warming is a part of a natural cycle of the earth or a result of human activity
  • Why do humans try to prevent the extinction of endangered species?
  • Examine deep-sea mining and whether it is safe for oceans or aquatic life
  • What brings about groundwater contamination? How can it be detected and prevented?
  • What is the role of volcanoes in the development of modern earth?
  • Is it possible to reinforce the ozone layer?
  • What is the importance of small water bodies like lakes and ponds?
  • How can humans harness the greenhouse effect?
  • Global warming: What is likely to happen if glaciers melt?
  • How did the Fukushima and Chernobyl disasters affect worldwide ecology?
  • Study types of clouds, their formation, and their importance
  • What are eco-villages, and how effective are they?
  • Highlight some of the new animal and plant species seen in the last two years
  • What is the influence of diversity in ecosystem function?
  • Examine the importance of herbivore in preventing competitive exclusion
  • Discuss the role of competition in determining the community composition of different ecosystems
  • Meta-analysis of multidecadal biodiversity trends in Europe
  • An Ecophysiological evaluation of salinity tolerance in olive

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Now that you have access to our exclusive list of interesting ecology topics, writing a comprehensive research paper should be easy. If you still have a hard time churning a quality paper that will put you on top of your class, do not give up just yet. There is some good news for you. Believe it or not, there is fast, cheap, and reliable homework help online.

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100 Interesting Ecology Topics For a Research Paper

ecology topics

Choosing the right ecology topics provides a chance for students to get the top grades. Ecology is one of the fields that have captured the attention of many people today. That’s because almost everybody is interested in environmental conservation today. Nevertheless, choosing a topic for ecology research is not easy. Essentially, learners should choose interesting topics that they can comfortably research and write about.

Perhaps, a great way to find brilliant topics is to evaluate coursework or content. This will enable a student to determine what they can research and write about to impress the educator. The same case should apply when choosing ecology lab ideas. You can also check out news items. Daily life events can be great sources of inspiration when searching for ecology experiment ideas and topics for academic papers.

Ecology Topics for Analytical Research Papers

Ecology research topics for comparison and contrast papers, evolutionary ecology research topics, interesting ecology topics for essays, ecology project ideas for definition papers and essays, argumentative ecology research paper topics, aquatic ecology paper topics, human ecology topics.

But, if you still can’t come up with a great topic for your paper or experiment, don’t worry, our thesis writers prepared 100 topics for you. Here is a list of great ideas to consider if you’re struggling to find environment and ecology research topics.

Do you want to write an analytical research paper? If yes, consider ecology research project ideas in this category. Here are some of the topics to consider in this category.

  • What are the major components of gastric microbiota?
  • Describe the origin of social ecology
  • How is social ecology applied?
  • Discuss the ecology of magnetotactic bacteria
  • Describe the evolution of magnetotactic bacteria
  • Discuss the ecological problems facing African savanna
  • What is sustainable agro-ecology?
  • Discuss sustainable agro-ecology for temperate ecosystems
  • Discuss the indirect and direct biodiversity values
  • Discuss the effects of natural green and its role in an ecological system
  • Describe changes in the polar bears’ ecology over the last 40 years
  • Describe the best ways teachers can help their students understand different ecology issues and improve their thinking
  • What are the major values of biodiversity
  • What are the principles of population ecology?
  • What are the measurements of species richness in community ecology?
  • Discuss the major marketing strategies for an environmentally friendly product
  • Why are critical ecological and environmental issues ignored by some countries?
  • Describe the best technologies for treating hazardous wastes
  • What causes air pollution?
  • How can nations prevent the impacts of air pollution on ecological systems?

Perhaps, you want to compare and contrast some concepts in your paper. In that case, you need ecology paper topics that allow you to consider different viewpoints. Here are examples of such topics.

  • Compare and contrast nuclear and fossil fuel energy
  • Compare and contrast the effects of hurricanes and tornados
  • How does an earthquake compare and contrast with a tsunami?
  • Compare and contrast the reformist environmentalism and deep ecology movement principles
  • Compare and contrast 3 categories of symbiotic relationships
  • Compare and contrast the phosphorous cycle and nitrogen cycle
  • Compare and contrast limnetic, benthic, and littoral zones in a lake
  • Compare and contrast opportunistic and equilibrium populations
  • Compare and contrast at least 3 terrestrial ecosystems
  • Compare and contrast non-sustainable and sustainable society

Compare and contrast topics in ecology require a great deal of time and effort. That’s because writing a paper or essay about a topic in this category entails research and writing about different topics. Therefore, be ready to research extensively if you choose your ecology project topic from this category.

Maybe you want to conduct extensive research about evolutionary ecology. In that case, you need evolutionary ecology topics for research paper to choose from. Here are the topic samples to consider.

  • What are the functional roles of maternal structures for the survival of an offspring?
  • What are the major transcriptomic changes when it comes to the transition of plant species from aquatic to terrestrial habitats?
  • Define population variation with carnivores’ population structure in mind.
  • Discuss the human social complexity evolution
  • Discuss the effects of social fungal communities invaders

Your educator may have asked you to choose an interesting topic and write a great essay about it. Here is a list of ecology topics from which you can choose what to write about.

  • Discuss the diversity and functioning of an ecosystem
  • What role does competition among species play in evolution?
  • Discuss the differences between sexual and vegetative reproduction
  • How does sleep facilitate evolution?
  • How do wolves help in population control in a forest?
  • What cause black holes and what are their effects
  • How does human activity impact glaciers?
  • What causes new infections?
  • Are endangered species worth protecting?
  • What are the potential effects of re-introducing an extinct species?
  • Discuss the latest technology for making hazardous waste safe
  • Define ecological footprint
  • Explain the number of bugs under the feet of a person at any given time
  • Discuss the use of moss in determining the North

Your educator may have asked you to write a definition essay or paper. This might be the reason why you’re looking for ecology project ideas for college essays and papers. Here are some of the topics that you can consider.

  • Define conservation biology
  • What is the purpose of conservation biology?
  • Define factorial ecology
  • What is the major tool for factorial ecology?
  • Define biodiversity
  • How important is biodiversity for an environment?
  • Define biome
  • Describe the seven biomes on the planet
  • Define the tragedy of commons’ concept
  • How can the overconsumption problem be solved?
  • Define mutualism
  • Discuss the major categories of mutualism
  • Define the Columbian exchange
  • How does Columbian exchange relate to ecology?
  • What is eco-efficiency?
  • What is sustainable manufacturing?
  • Describe the preventive engineering strategy and its importance
  • Discuss the principle of competitive exclusion
  • Define extinction debts- What are its major mechanisms?
  • Discuss how green roofs decrease the ecological footprint

Do you want to argue about some ecology concepts? If yes, consider the following ecology topics for presentation or research paper.

  • How can an ecological catastrophe be prevented by volunteer organizations?
  • Is ecology an individual or governmental responsibility?
  • Should schools teach environmentally friendly behaviors?
  • Discuss the most important biochemical interactions between animals and plants
  • Do the media cover ecological problems sufficiently?
  • Is there real, irreversible damage done to the earth by humans?
  • Is consumerism the major ecological problem?
  • Is deep ecology movement a religion?
  • Is artificial filling of unoccupied niches in an ecosystem ethical?
  • Can non-renewable energy sources be abolished completely?

If you’re pursuing an ecology program that deals with aquatic issues, you will find topics in this category quite interesting. Here sample topics to consider in this category.

  • What is involved in stream ecology study?
  • Discuss the salt marshes ecological phenomenon
  • Describe the hydrologic cycle
  • What is the importance of the hydrologic cycle in an ecosystem?
  • Define eutrophication and its causes
  • Describe the problems and effects of water ecology in the Caribbean
  • What is the importance of water consumption habits for ecology?
  • Discuss diversity and stream morphology
  • Describe sampling of Macro-invertebrate in aquatic ecology
  • What is estuary ecology?

Maybe you want to research human ecology. In that case, consider the following ecology project topics.

  • What are the major aspects of physiological ecology?
  • What are the consequences of overconsumption for ecology?
  • How can social ecology be regulated in a classroom?
  • What is the origin or media ecology?
  • Discuss the purposes and methods of media ecology
  • How safe is ecology in megacities in China?
  • What is agrarianism? –Discuss the principles of agrarianism philosophy
  • Describe a restaurant business that can be considered ecologically friendly
  • Are humans a part of an ecological world?
  • How to make a house sustainable

In addition to these categories of ecology research project ideas, you can also consider biology topics , as well as, problems and solutions topics. Nevertheless, take your time to find topics for ecology papers that you will be comfortable researching and writing about.

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Research Topics & Ideas: Environment

100+ Environmental Science Research Topics & Ideas

Research topics and ideas within the environmental sciences

Finding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation, thesis or research project. Here, we’ll explore a variety research ideas and topic thought-starters related to various environmental science disciplines, including ecology, oceanography, hydrology, geology, soil science, environmental chemistry, environmental economics, and environmental ethics.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps . In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas within the environmental sciences. This is the starting point though. To develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.

If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. Also be sure to also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to develop a high-quality research topic from scratch.

Overview: Environmental Topics

  • Ecology /ecological science
  • Atmospheric science
  • Oceanography
  • Soil science
  • Environmental chemistry
  • Environmental economics
  • Environmental ethics
  • Examples  of dissertations and theses

Topics & Ideas: Ecological Science

  • The impact of land-use change on species diversity and ecosystem functioning in agricultural landscapes
  • The role of disturbances such as fire and drought in shaping arid ecosystems
  • The impact of climate change on the distribution of migratory marine species
  • Investigating the role of mutualistic plant-insect relationships in maintaining ecosystem stability
  • The effects of invasive plant species on ecosystem structure and function
  • The impact of habitat fragmentation caused by road construction on species diversity and population dynamics in the tropics
  • The role of ecosystem services in urban areas and their economic value to a developing nation
  • The effectiveness of different grassland restoration techniques in degraded ecosystems
  • The impact of land-use change through agriculture and urbanisation on soil microbial communities in a temperate environment
  • The role of microbial diversity in ecosystem health and nutrient cycling in an African savannah

Topics & Ideas: Atmospheric Science

  • The impact of climate change on atmospheric circulation patterns above tropical rainforests
  • The role of atmospheric aerosols in cloud formation and precipitation above cities with high pollution levels
  • The impact of agricultural land-use change on global atmospheric composition
  • Investigating the role of atmospheric convection in severe weather events in the tropics
  • The impact of urbanisation on regional and global atmospheric ozone levels
  • The impact of sea surface temperature on atmospheric circulation and tropical cyclones
  • The impact of solar flares on the Earth’s atmospheric composition
  • The impact of climate change on atmospheric turbulence and air transportation safety
  • The impact of stratospheric ozone depletion on atmospheric circulation and climate change
  • The role of atmospheric rivers in global water supply and sea-ice formation

Research topic evaluator

Topics & Ideas: Oceanography

  • The impact of ocean acidification on kelp forests and biogeochemical cycles
  • The role of ocean currents in distributing heat and regulating desert rain
  • The impact of carbon monoxide pollution on ocean chemistry and biogeochemical cycles
  • Investigating the role of ocean mixing in regulating coastal climates
  • The impact of sea level rise on the resource availability of low-income coastal communities
  • The impact of ocean warming on the distribution and migration patterns of marine mammals
  • The impact of ocean deoxygenation on biogeochemical cycles in the arctic
  • The role of ocean-atmosphere interactions in regulating rainfall in arid regions
  • The impact of ocean eddies on global ocean circulation and plankton distribution
  • The role of ocean-ice interactions in regulating the Earth’s climate and sea level

Research topic idea mega list

Tops & Ideas: Hydrology

  • The impact of agricultural land-use change on water resources and hydrologic cycles in temperate regions
  • The impact of agricultural groundwater availability on irrigation practices in the global south
  • The impact of rising sea-surface temperatures on global precipitation patterns and water availability
  • Investigating the role of wetlands in regulating water resources for riparian forests
  • The impact of tropical ranches on river and stream ecosystems and water quality
  • The impact of urbanisation on regional and local hydrologic cycles and water resources for agriculture
  • The role of snow cover and mountain hydrology in regulating regional agricultural water resources
  • The impact of drought on food security in arid and semi-arid regions
  • The role of groundwater recharge in sustaining water resources in arid and semi-arid environments
  • The impact of sea level rise on coastal hydrology and the quality of water resources

Research Topic Kickstarter - Need Help Finding A Research Topic?

Topics & Ideas: Geology

  • The impact of tectonic activity on the East African rift valley
  • The role of mineral deposits in shaping ancient human societies
  • The impact of sea-level rise on coastal geomorphology and shoreline evolution
  • Investigating the role of erosion in shaping the landscape and impacting desertification
  • The impact of mining on soil stability and landslide potential
  • The impact of volcanic activity on incoming solar radiation and climate
  • The role of geothermal energy in decarbonising the energy mix of megacities
  • The impact of Earth’s magnetic field on geological processes and solar wind
  • The impact of plate tectonics on the evolution of mammals
  • The role of the distribution of mineral resources in shaping human societies and economies, with emphasis on sustainability

Topics & Ideas: Soil Science

  • The impact of dam building on soil quality and fertility
  • The role of soil organic matter in regulating nutrient cycles in agricultural land
  • The impact of climate change on soil erosion and soil organic carbon storage in peatlands
  • Investigating the role of above-below-ground interactions in nutrient cycling and soil health
  • The impact of deforestation on soil degradation and soil fertility
  • The role of soil texture and structure in regulating water and nutrient availability in boreal forests
  • The impact of sustainable land management practices on soil health and soil organic matter
  • The impact of wetland modification on soil structure and function
  • The role of soil-atmosphere exchange and carbon sequestration in regulating regional and global climate
  • The impact of salinization on soil health and crop productivity in coastal communities

Topics & Ideas: Environmental Chemistry

  • The impact of cobalt mining on water quality and the fate of contaminants in the environment
  • The role of atmospheric chemistry in shaping air quality and climate change
  • The impact of soil chemistry on nutrient availability and plant growth in wheat monoculture
  • Investigating the fate and transport of heavy metal contaminants in the environment
  • The impact of climate change on biochemical cycling in tropical rainforests
  • The impact of various types of land-use change on biochemical cycling
  • The role of soil microbes in mediating contaminant degradation in the environment
  • The impact of chemical and oil spills on freshwater and soil chemistry
  • The role of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in shaping water and soil chemistry
  • The impact of over-irrigation on the cycling and fate of persistent organic pollutants in the environment

Topics & Ideas: Environmental Economics

  • The impact of climate change on the economies of developing nations
  • The role of market-based mechanisms in promoting sustainable use of forest resources
  • The impact of environmental regulations on economic growth and competitiveness
  • Investigating the economic benefits and costs of ecosystem services for African countries
  • The impact of renewable energy policies on regional and global energy markets
  • The role of water markets in promoting sustainable water use in southern Africa
  • The impact of land-use change in rural areas on regional and global economies
  • The impact of environmental disasters on local and national economies
  • The role of green technologies and innovation in shaping the zero-carbon transition and the knock-on effects for local economies
  • The impact of environmental and natural resource policies on income distribution and poverty of rural communities

Topics & Ideas: Environmental Ethics

  • The ethical foundations of environmentalism and the environmental movement regarding renewable energy
  • The role of values and ethics in shaping environmental policy and decision-making in the mining industry
  • The impact of cultural and religious beliefs on environmental attitudes and behaviours in first world countries
  • Investigating the ethics of biodiversity conservation and the protection of endangered species in palm oil plantations
  • The ethical implications of sea-level rise for future generations and vulnerable coastal populations
  • The role of ethical considerations in shaping sustainable use of natural forest resources
  • The impact of environmental justice on marginalized communities and environmental policies in Asia
  • The ethical implications of environmental risks and decision-making under uncertainty
  • The role of ethics in shaping the transition to a low-carbon, sustainable future for the construction industry
  • The impact of environmental values on consumer behaviour and the marketplace: a case study of the ‘bring your own shopping bag’ policy

Examples: Real Dissertation & Thesis Topics

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various environmental science-related degree programs to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

  • The physiology of microorganisms in enhanced biological phosphorous removal (Saunders, 2014)
  • The influence of the coastal front on heavy rainfall events along the east coast (Henson, 2019)
  • Forage production and diversification for climate-smart tropical and temperate silvopastures (Dibala, 2019)
  • Advancing spectral induced polarization for near surface geophysical characterization (Wang, 2021)
  • Assessment of Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter and Thamnocephalus platyurus as Tools to Monitor Cyanobacterial Bloom Development and Toxicity (Hipsher, 2019)
  • Evaluating the Removal of Microcystin Variants with Powdered Activated Carbon (Juang, 2020)
  • The effect of hydrological restoration on nutrient concentrations, macroinvertebrate communities, and amphibian populations in Lake Erie coastal wetlands (Berg, 2019)
  • Utilizing hydrologic soil grouping to estimate corn nitrogen rate recommendations (Bean, 2019)
  • Fungal Function in House Dust and Dust from the International Space Station (Bope, 2021)
  • Assessing Vulnerability and the Potential for Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in Sudan’s Blue Nile Basin (Mohamed, 2022)
  • A Microbial Water Quality Analysis of the Recreational Zones in the Los Angeles River of Elysian Valley, CA (Nguyen, 2019)
  • Dry Season Water Quality Study on Three Recreational Sites in the San Gabriel Mountains (Vallejo, 2019)
  • Wastewater Treatment Plan for Unix Packaging Adjustment of the Potential Hydrogen (PH) Evaluation of Enzymatic Activity After the Addition of Cycle Disgestase Enzyme (Miessi, 2020)
  • Laying the Genetic Foundation for the Conservation of Longhorn Fairy Shrimp (Kyle, 2021).

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are quite specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. To create a top-notch research topic, you will need to be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you’ll need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

Need more help?

If you’re still feeling a bit unsure about how to find a research topic for your environmental science dissertation or research project, be sure to check out our private coaching services below, as well as our Research Topic Kickstarter .

Need a helping hand?

ecology related essay

12 Comments

wafula

research topics on climate change and environment

Chioma

Researched PhD topics on environmental chemistry involving dust and water

Masango Dieudonne

I wish to learn things in a more advanced but simple way and with the hopes that I am in the right place.

Olusegunbukola Olubukola janet

Thank so much for the research topics. It really helped

saheed

the guides were really helpful

Nandir Elaine shelbut

Research topics on environmental geology

Blessing

Thanks for the research topics….I need a research topic on Geography

EDDIE NOBUHLE THABETHE

hi I need research questions ideas

Yinkfu Randy

Implications of climate variability on wildlife conservation on the west coast of Cameroon

jeanne uwamahoro

I want the research on environmental planning and management

Mvuyisi

I want a topic on environmental sustainability

Micah Evelyn Joshua

It good coaching

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Biodiversity Benefits for Ecology Essay

  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Benefits of biodiversity.

According to the most common definition, biodiversity simply refers to having a variety of species. It is a reflection of the population, variety and variability of organisms on earth. Biodiversity includes diversification within and between different species and among ecosystems.

This variation of species in the ecosystem is a very important concept and factor that indeed is the basis for sustaining life on our planet. Considering such a great role of this matter, it is regrettable that biodiversity has been threatened by a number of factors largely fueled by human activities in recent days. This essay discusses the benefits of biodiversity on both the human beings and other living things.

To start with, biodiversity provides most of the food that humans and other living beings use for their survival. Humans feed on a wide array of living organisms like animals, plants, fish and others, which provide holistic nutritional value to them. Likewise, predators depend on other animals for food while plants rely on microorganisms to keep soil suitable for growth. Clearly, with an alteration in biodiversity, not only humans but also many other species of living things stand to suffer.

Secondly, biodiversity is a primary and great source of medicines and herbs used all around the world to treat various illnesses and health conditions. In the developing world, herbs are harvested directly even where drugs are manufactured for the ingredients to be primarily sourced from living things, especially plants. To give a more specific example, penicillin and anesthetics, which are commonly used in human treatment, are got from animal species and microbes.

Biodiversity is important for fighting against different threats that can harm our health and life. With a rich genetic composition within a species, the capacity to counter different bacteria, virus and other health impairing factors is greatly improved. For example, human beings avoid inbreeding in order to expand their genetic diversity, thereby this factor gives them an advantage and better chances to survive genetic and health attacks.

In addition, biodiversity is important for global warming mitigation. There are several plant tissues and organic matters on land and in ocean ecosystems that process carbon, which is part of the combination of greenhouse gasses contributing to climate change. For instance, as a measure for controlling the rate of global warming and desertification, countries worldwide have launched campaigns to plant many trees so that they can act as carbon sinks.

Again, biodiversity is very important for sustaining the global economy. Many people derive direct and indirect incomes from exploiting biodiversity. Indeed, it provides an important contribution to the economic development of all the nations of the world. Natural pesticides, fibers, waxes, fuel, gums, dyes and many others are goods harvested from biodiversity. Also, nature related holidays and ecotourism that are the main sources of income of many countries rely on biodiversity.

Moreover, the most important supporter of life, which is soil and water in it, depends on biodiversity for its maintenance. If the soil were eroded, then life would cease to exist very quickly. Microorganisms in the soil are responsible for breaking down organic matter and serving plants with essential nutrients. Vegetation, on the other hand, keeps soil intact and protects it.

Clean air that is very essential for life is purified by plant species, which filter unwanted and harmful particles from industries, recycle oxygen and regulate atmospheric composition. Indeed, plants use carbon dioxide to manufacture food and give out oxygen in its place.

Humans depend a lot on planted crops to provide food which are, however, susceptible to many pests. Other organisms including insects, birds and fungi eliminate a great majority of the potential pests that attack crops. These natural and cheap ways of controlling pests are far superior to artificial ones as pests often develop resistance to the latter.

The intrinsic value of biodiversity must not be also overlooked. Human beings and a number of other animals enhance their emotional wellbeing by being close to natural beauty. For example, the mutually helpful relationships between humans and biodiversity are easily discernible in arts, traditions and religions of diverse cultures all over the world. For instance, a picture depicting a beautiful; nature where green and healthy trees are represented is considered by many to have a calming effect on the human’s mind.

Generally, biodiversity provides all the basic needs of men and other higher animals. The provision of food, shelter, clothing and all the other basic needs can be traced back to the issue under the consideration. In fact, almost all food comes from living things, fabric for clothes is made from plants and skin or fir of animals while many of the materials used by people to build houses also have an organic nature and are the results of biodiversity.

That is why it is necessary to state that biodiversity is not just an important and beneficial but crucial aspect of life. Nature has its own way of balancing life, and biodiversity is at the center of this grand plan. Every single organism that exists on our planet has a role to play in supporting other life forms in all the different ecosystems. Biodiversity must be, therefore, protected and preserved if humans want the life to be sustained.

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Home — Essay Samples — Environment — Natural Environment — Analysis Of What Ecology Is

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Analysis of What Ecology is

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Published: Feb 12, 2019

Words: 447 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Works Cited

  • Odum, E. P. (2020). Fundamentals of Ecology. Cengage Learning.
  • Begon, M., Townsend, C. R., & Harper, J. L. (2006). Ecology: From individuals to ecosystems. Wiley.
  • Smith, R. L., & Smith, T. M. (2014). Elements of ecology. Pearson.
  • Pimm, S. L. (2001). The world according to Pimm: a scientist audits the earth. McGraw-Hill.
  • Krebs, C. J. (2019). Ecology: The experimental analysis of distribution and abundance. Pearson.
  • Ricklefs, R. E., & Miller, G. L. (2000). Ecology. Macmillan.
  • Gurevitch, J., Scheiner, S. M., & Fox, G. A. (2006). The ecology of plants. Sinauer Associates.
  • Keddy, P. A. (2007). Plants and vegetation: Origins, processes, consequences. Cambridge University Press.
  • Turner, M. G. (2019). Landscape ecology in theory and practice: Pattern and process. Springer.
  • Levin, S. A. (1992). The problem of pattern and scale in ecology: The Robert H. MacArthur Award lecture. Ecology, 73(6), 1943-1967.

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ecology related essay

  • Biology Article

Table of Contents

What Is Ecology

Biotic And Abiotic Factors

Types Of Ecology

Importance Of Ecology

Examples Of Ecology

Ecology 

What is Ecology?

Ecology is a  branch of science, including human science, population, community, ecosystem and biosphere. Ecology is the study of organisms, the environment and how the organisms interact with each other and their environment. It is studied at various levels, such as organism, population, community, biosphere and ecosystem.

An ecologist’s primary goal is to improve their understanding of life processes, adaptations and habitats , interactions and biodiversity of organisms.

Let us have a detailed look at the ecology notes provided here and explore the concept of ecology.

Biotic and Abiotic Factors

The main aim of ecology is to understand the distribution of biotic and abiotic factors of living things in the environment. The biotic and abiotic factors include the living and non-living factors and their interaction with the environment.

Biotic components

Biotic components

Biotic components are living factors of an ecosystem. A few examples of biotic components include bacteria,  animals, birds,  fungi, plants, etc.

Abiotic components

Abiotic components

Abiotic components are non-living chemical and physical factors of an ecosystem. These components could be acquired from the atmosphere, lithosphere and hydrosphere. A few examples of abiotic components include sunlight, soil, air, moisture minerals and more.

Living organisms are grouped into biotic components, whereas non-living components like sunlight, water, topography are listed under abiotic components.

Types of Ecology

Types of Ecology

The diagram showing different Types of Ecology

Ecology can be classified into different types. The different types of ecology are given below:

Global Ecology

It deals with interactions among earth’s ecosystems, land, atmosphere and oceans. It helps to understand the large-scale interactions and their influence on the planet.

Landscape Ecology

It deals with the exchange of energy, materials, organisms and other products of ecosystems. Landscape ecology throws light on the role of human impacts on the landscape structures and functions.

Ecosystem Ecology

It deals with the entire ecosystem, including the study of living and non-living components and their relationship with the environment. This science researches how ecosystems work, their interactions, etc.

Community Ecology

It deals with how community structure is modified by interactions among living organisms. Ecology community is made up of two or more populations of different species living in a particular geographic area.

Population Ecology

It deals with factors that alter and impact the genetic composition and the size of the population of organisms. Ecologists are interested in fluctuations in the size of a population, the growth of a population and any other interactions with the population.

In biology, a population can be defined as a set of individuals of the same species living in a given place at a given time. Births and immigration are the main factors that increase the population and death and emigration are the main factors that decrease the population.

Population ecology examines the population distribution and density. Population density is the number of individuals in a given volume or area. This helps in determining whether a particular species is in endanger or its number is to be controlled and resources to be replenished.

Organismal Ecology

Organismal ecology is the study of an individual organism’s behaviour, morphology, physiology, etc. in response to environmental challenges. It looks at how individual organisms interact with biotic and abiotic components. Ecologists research how organisms are adapted to these non-living and living components of their surroundings.

Individual species are related to various adaptations like physiological adaptation,  morphological adaptation, and behavioural adaptation.

Molecular Ecology

The study of ecology focuses on the production of proteins and how these proteins affect the organisms and their environment. This happens at the molecular level.

DNA forms the proteins that interact with each other and the environment. These interactions give rise to some complex organisms.

Importance of Ecology

The following reasons explain the importance of ecology:

Conservation of Environment

Ecology helps us to understand how our actions affect the environment. It shows the individuals the extent of damage we cause to the environment.

Lack of understanding of ecology has led to the degradation of land and the environment. It has also led to the extinction and endangerment of certain species. For eg., dinosaurs, white shark, mammoths, etc. Thus, the study of the environment and organisms helps us to protect them from any damage and danger.

Resource Allocation

With the knowledge of ecology, we are able to know which resources are necessary for the survival of different organisms. Lack of ecological knowledge has led to scarcity and deprivation of these resources, leading to competition.

Energy Conservation

All organisms require energy for their growth and development. Lack of ecological understanding leads to the over-exploitation of energy resources such as light, nutrition and radiation, leading to its depletion.

Proper knowledge of ecological requirements prevents the unnecessary wastage of energy resources, thereby, conserving energy for future purposes.

Eco-Friendliness

Ecology encourages harmonious living within the species and the adoption of a lifestyle that protects the ecology of life.

Examples of Ecology

Following are a few examples of ecology:

Human Ecology

It focuses on the relationship between humans and the environment. It emphasizes the impact human beings have on the environment and gives knowledge on how we can improve ourselves for the betterment of humans and the environment.

Niche Construction

It deals with the study of how organisms alter the environment for the benefit of themselves and other living beings. For eg, termites create a 6 feet tall mound and at the same time feed and protect their entire population.

Also Read: Biodiversity

To explore more about what is ecology, importance and types of ecology, keep visiting the BYJU’S website or download the BYJU’S app for further reference.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ecology.

Ecology is the branch of science that deals with the relationship of organisms with one another and with their physical surroundings.

What are the different levels of ecology?

The different levels of ecology include- organisms, communities, population and ecosystem.

What are the different types of ecology?

The different types of ecology include- molecular ecology, organismal ecology, population ecology, community ecology, global ecology, landscape ecology and ecosystem ecology.

How are ecology and evolution related?

Ecology plays a significant role in forming new species and modifying the existing ones. Natural selection is one of the many factors that influences evolutionary change.

Who devised the word ecology?

Ecology was first devised by Ernst Haeckel, a German Zoologist. However, ecology has its origins in other sciences such as geology, biology, and evolution among others.

What is habitat ecology?

Habitat ecology is the type of natural environment in which a particular species of an organism live, characterized by both physical and biological features.

What is a niche?

An organism free from the interference of other species and can use a full range of biotic and abiotic resources in which it can survive and reproduce is known as its fundamental niche.

Register at BYJU’S for more ecology notes. Go through these notes for reference.

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ecology related essay

THANK FOR YOUR GOOD EXPLANATION OF ECOLOGY

very good explanation for ecology.

what is tolerance

Tolerance is defined as an organism’s capacity to survive variation in environmental conditions. For example, a polar bear can thrive in the sub-zero temperatures of the Arctic, but it cannot survive in warmer climates such as the tropics.

Nice and lovely answer dear

Thanks so much

tank you for good explain

the interaction of living and non living things in the community

thank you for giving details

thank you for good expression

Thanks for such a explanation

Thanks for the explanation

Thanks for such explanation

thankyou so mach for your explanation

Wow I enjoyed the explanations thanks

ecology and its relevance to man , natural resources, their sustainable management and conservation?

Thanks for the Info. Crystal clear and simple. Helped me a lot.

CAN I KNOW ABOUT THE SIGMOID GROWTH GRAPH?

Please refer to this link https://byjus.com/biology/an-introduction-to-population-growth/

This is very helpful because my half-yearly exam is coming, and easy to learn about ecology, thanks

Thanks so much for the well clear answers it helps so much

Thank you so much! This explanation has helped me a lot.

Thank you for the information about ecological system

ecology related essay

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Essay on Environment for Students and Children

500+ words essay on environment.

Essay on Environment – All living things that live on this earth comes under the environment. Whether they live on land or water they are part of the environment. The environment also includes air, water, sunlight, plants, animals, etc.

Moreover, the earth is considered the only planet in the universe that supports life. The environment can be understood as a blanket that keeps life on the planet sage and sound.

Essay on Environment

Importance of Environment

We truly cannot understand the real worth of the environment. But we can estimate some of its importance that can help us understand its importance. It plays a vital role in keeping living things healthy in the environment.

Likewise, it maintains the ecological balance that will keep check of life on earth. It provides food, shelter, air, and fulfills all the human needs whether big or small.

Moreover, the entire life support of humans depends wholly on the environmental factors. In addition, it also helps in maintaining various life cycles on earth.

Most importantly, our environment is the source of natural beauty and is necessary for maintaining physical and mental health.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Benefits of the Environment

The environment gives us countless benefits that we can’t repay our entire life. As they are connected with the forest, trees, animals, water, and air. The forest and trees filter the air and absorb harmful gases. Plants purify water, reduce the chances of flood maintain natural balance and many others.

Moreover, the environment keeps a close check on the environment and its functioning, It regulates the vital systems that are essential for the ecosystem. Besides, it maintains the culture and quality of life on earth.

The environment regulates various natural cycles that happen daily. These cycles help in maintaining the natural balance between living things and the environment. Disturbance of these things can ultimately affect the life cycle of humans and other living beings.

The environment has helped us and other living beings to flourish and grow from thousands of years. The environment provides us fertile land, water, air, livestock and many essential things for survival.

Cause of Environmental Degradation

Human activities are the major cause of environmental degradation because most of the activities humans do harm the environment in some way. The activities of humans that causes environmental degradation is pollution, defective environmental policies, chemicals, greenhouse gases, global warming, ozone depletion, etc.

All these affect the environment badly. Besides, these the overuse of natural resources will create a situation in the future there will be no resources for consumption. And the most basic necessity of living air will get so polluted that humans have to use bottled oxygen for breathing.

ecology related essay

Above all, increasing human activity is exerting more pressure on the surface of the earth which is causing many disasters in an unnatural form. Also, we are using the natural resources at a pace that within a few years they will vanish from the earth. To conclude, we can say that it is the environment that is keeping us alive. Without the blanket of environment, we won’t be able to survive.

Moreover, the environment’s contribution to life cannot be repaid. Besides, still what the environment has done for us, in return we only have damaged and degraded it.

FAQs about Essay on Environment

Q.1 What is the true meaning of the environment?

A.1 The ecosystem that includes all the plants, animals, birds, reptiles, insects, water bodies, fishes, human beings, trees, microorganisms and many more are part of the environment. Besides, all these constitute the environment.

Q.2 What is the three types of the environment?

A.2 The three types of environment includes the physical, social, and cultural environment. Besides, various scientists have defined different types and numbers of environment.

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Essay on ecology.

ecology related essay

Read this essay to learn about ecology. After reading this essay you will learn about: 1. Introduction to Ecology 2. History and Scope of Ecology 3. Definitions 4. Origin of Ecological Crises 5. Four Laws 6. Objectives 7. Subdivisions 8. Community Ecology 9. Rules .

Essay Contents:

  • Essay on Rules in Ecology

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Essay # 1. Introduction to Ecology :

Every organism invariably depends upon the environment and other organism for its existence. It either eats other organisms or is eaten by others and competes with other for the necessities of life such as food, shelter and mate survival requires group association.

Such associations and concept of organisms and their environment in general constitute the sci­ence of ecology. The word ecology was coined by Ernst Haeckel in 1869 and is derived from two Greek words oikos meaning house or place of living and logos meaning study of.

The field of ecology deals with the influence of environmental factors on all the aspects of life such as morphology, physiology, growth, distribution, behaviour and survival of the organisms. Ecology or environmental biology pertains to the study of relationship between various organisms and their environment. This includes consideration of plants, animals and human beings.

Essay # 2. History and Scope of Ecology :

The word “Ecology” derived from the Greek words “Oikos” meaning habitation, and “logos” meaning discourse or study, implies a study of the habitations of organisms.

Ecology was first described as a separate field of knowledge in 1866 by the German Zoologist Ernst Haeckel, who established the relationship of the animals to its organic as well as its inor­ganic environment, particularly its friendly or hos­tile relations to those animals or plants with which it comes in contact.

In due course ecology was defined as “A study of animals and plants in their relations to each other and to their environment”.

Ecology can be considered on a wider scale moving from an individual molecule to the entire global ecosystem.

However, four identifiable sub­divisions of scales are of particular interest:

(i) Individuals,

(ii) Populations,

(iii) Communities and

(iv) Ecosystems.

At each scale, the subjects of interest to ecologists change. At the individual level the response of individuals to their environment (biotic and abiotic) is key issue, while at the level of populations of a single species, species-spe­cies interaction is important.

In recent years it was realised that ecology is an interdisciplinary science, though its body of knowledge lies in biology yet its interaction with other disciplines are quite prominent. There are different approach for understand­ing the ecological sciences (Table 1.1), this include the study of ecology from the stand point of con­ceptual understanding, from organisms involved or habitat condition or even from point of appli­cation.

Each categories of ecological studies re­quires specialized understanding. As the science progressed much with time, the conceptual un­derstanding became more and more complex and interactive.

There are many characteristics in ecological sci­ence.

Essay # 3. Definitions of Ecology:

Ecology has been defined in various ways:

i. Ecology is the study of an organism and its environment.

ii. The study of interrelationship of organism or groups of an organism to their envi­ronment is called ecology.

Human ecology is a social science that studies the relationship between man and its environment. It studies the relationship between human biological factors and the natural environment.

Social ecology studies the relations among natural environment, population, technology and society.

The physical and the biological world that we live in is our environment.

The activities of various organisms in the environment which interact with each other are so finely balanced that they are in equilibrium in a steady state. This is known as ecological balance.

The principal causes for ecological degradation are drastic changes in the technology of agricultural and industries production and transportation.

Essay # 4. Origin of Ecological Crises :

i. Exploding population

ii. Affluent and wastefulness.

The affluent society has become an efficient society.

iii. Man’s is made aggressiveness

iv. Profits

v. Religion

vi. Technology.

Essay # 5. Four Laws of Ecology :

i. Everything is connected to everything else.

ii. Everything must go somewhere.

iii. Nature knows best.

iv. There is no such thing as a free launch.

Deep Ecology:

The word is perceived notes a collection of isolated objects but as a network of phenomena that are fundamentally interconnected and interdependent.

Shallow Ecology:

It views humans as above or outside of nature as the source of all values and prescribe only instrumental or use value to nature.

Feminist Ecology and Echo Feminism:

It links the exploitation of nature with that of women and women’s history with the history of the environment.

Industrial Ecology:

Industrial process resembles those of a natural eco system where in materials and energy circulates continuously in a complex web of interaction. Micro­organisms turn animal waste in to food for plants which are either eaten by animals or enter the cycle through death and decay.

Essay # 6. Objectives of Ecological Study :

The main objectives of this science are to study:

i. The inter-relationships between organisms in population and diverse communities.

ii. The temporal changes (seasonal, annual, successional etc.) in the occurrence of organisms.

iii. The behaviour under natural conditions.

iv. The structural adaptations and functional adjustments of organisms to their physical environment, i.e., Eco-physiology.

v. The development in the course of evolution i.e., evolutionary development.

vi. The biological productivity and energy flow in natural system, i.e., productive ecology.

vii. The development of mathematical models to relate intersection of parameters and to predict the effects.

The main objective of the study of ecology is to apply the knowledge gained from ecological study to safeguard against disasters caused by:

i. Uncontrolled interference with natural populations,

ii. Unchecked felling of trees,

iii. Environmental pollution.

Essay # 7. Subdivisions of Ecology :

I. Two important subdivisions of ecology are recognised by ecologists, these are:

i. Autecology and

ii. Synecology.

i. Autecology :

It is concerned with the ecology of an individual species and its population. While studying the autecology of a particular species, an ecologist studies, its behaviour and adap­tation to the environmental condition at every stage of that individual’s life cycle. Autecol­ogy is also called species ecology.

ii. Synecology :

It is study of communities, their composition, their behaviour and relation to the envi­ronment.

Synecology is also called Ecology of Communities

Synecology is further divided into three fields:

i. Population ecology

ii. Community ecology

iii. Ecosystem ecology

II. On the basis of the kind of environment or habitat, ecology has been sub-divided into the following branches:

III. With advancing trends in the fields of ecology, present day ecologists divide ecol­ogy into the following branches:

Essay # 8. Community Ecology :

A population of a single species cannot survive by itself because there is inter depen­dence of one form of life on another. An aggregation of populations of different species living together (in inter dependence) in a specific area, having a specific set of environmen­tal conditions constitute a biotic community e.g., the various plants and animals in a pond or lake constitute on biotic community whereas the plants and animals in a particular forest constitute another biotic community.

Broadly speaking, there are two types of communities.

These are major and minor community:

(i) Major Community:

It is large community which is self-regulating, self-sustain­ing and independent unit comprising of a number of minor communities in it. Examples of major communities are: a pond, a lake, a forest, a desert, a meadow and a grassland. Each of these major communities includes several minor commu­nities.

(ii) Minor Community:

It is a smaller community which is not a self-sustaining unit. It is dependent on other communities for its existence. The major community exemplified by a forest has many minor communities namely the plant commu­nity (the plant population of the forest), the animal community (the animal popu­lation of the forest) and the microbial community (bacteria and fungi population).

Characteristics of a Community :

A community has the following characteristics:

(i) Structure:

Structure of a community can be studied by determining the density, frequency and abundance of species.

(ii) Dominance:

Usually a community has one or more species which occur in large number. Such species are called dominants and the community is often named after them.

(iii) Diversity:

The community consists of different groups of plants and animals of different species, may be large and small, may belong to one life from or another but are essentially growing in a uniform environment.

(iv) Periodicity:

This includes study of various life processes (respiration, growth, reproduction etc.) in the various seasons of the year in the dominant species of a community.

The recurrence of these important life processes at regular intervals in a year and their manifestation in nature is termed periodicity.

(v) Stratification:

Natural forest communities possess a number of layers or storeys or strata related to the height of plants, for example, tall trees, smaller trees, shrubs and herbaceous layers form the different strata. This phenomenon in a plant community is called stratification.

(vi) Eco-tone and Edge-effect:

A zone of vegetation spreading or separating two dif­ferent types of communities is called ecotone. These are marginal zones and are easily recognisable.

Usually, in ecotones, the variety of one species is larger than in any of the adjacent communities. A phenomenon of increased variety and intensity of plants at the common junction is called edge-effect and is essentially due to wider range of suitable environmental conditions.

(vii) Ecological Niche:

Different species of animals and plants fulfil different functions in the ecological complex. The role of each is spoken of as its ecological niche i.e., the role is that a species plays in its ecosystem: what it eats, who eats it, its range of movement etc., in other words, the total range of its interaction with other species of its environment.

We can also say that ecological niche is a small habitat within a habitat in which only a single species can survive.

E.P. Odum has differentiated habitat and ecological niche by saying that the habitat is an organism’s address and the ecological niche is its profession.

(viii) Ecological Succession:

Communities are not static but progressively change with time in a definite manner. This change of the plant and animal communities in an orderly sequence in an area is called ecological or biotic succession. Ecological succession finally leads to a stable nature community called climax community.

(ix) Interspecific Association:

This is the study of two or more species growing to­gether in close association in regular occurrence.

(x) Community Productivity:

The study of production of biomass (organic matter) is known as production ecology.

The net production of biomass and storage of energy by a community per unit time and area is called community productivity.

(xi) Biotic Stability:

A biotic community has the ability to quickly regain equilibrium after a disturbance in population fluctuation. This is called biotic stability and is directly proportional to the number of interacting species it contains i.e., the diversity in the community.

Before man encroached upon it, the world biosphere was a large climax community resulting from thousands of years of evolution. With increase in population, the demand for space has been steadily increasing and so the ecosystem have been rapidly exploited beyond the capacity of the environment to adjust, thereby totally disrupting the balance of nature.

Before a point of no return is reached, man should stop manipulating the environment to his advantage. The survival of mankind will be in peril of pollution of the environment, degra­dation of the land, over consumption and wasteful use of natural resources are not checked immediately. Development should be the result of scientific management based on ecologi­cal principles.

Concern for environment protection was shown in the conference on Human environment held at Stockholm in June, 1972. The prime objective of the conference was to focus attention on the major environmental issues, to recognise and identify the causes for environmental degradation and the need to prevent and control it.

The conference called upon all the nations of the world to protect, improve, preserve and enhance the environment for the present and future generations.

In the United Nations conference on Environment and Development at Rio de Janeiro held in June, 1992, an action plan was formulated for solving the major environmental prob­lems threatening the environment, like,

(a) Global warming

(b) Ozone layer depletion

(c) Pollution of air, water and land

(d) Acid rain or acid precipitation

(e) Desertification

(f) Soil erosion

(g) Deforestation and

(h) Depletion of genetic resources

The pressing need today is environmentally compatible development to protect the en­vironment for the future generation and to restore the ecological balance on earth.

Some recent initiatives for defining ecological standards ISO 14000.

ii. Eco Management and audit scheme

iii. Life cycle assessment

Essay # 9. Rules in Ecology:

i. Ecology is a Science:

It is a purely scientific discipline which aims to understand the rela­tionships between organisms and their wider environment.

ii. Ecology is only Understandable in the Light of Evolution:

The huge diversity of organisms and the wealth of variety in their morpholo­gies, physiologies and behavioural all are the result of many millions of years of evolution.

iii. Nothing Happens ‘for the Good of the Spe­cies’:

The patterns of behaviour organisms is regulated by natural selection even though it is detrimental for species.

iv. Gene and Environment are both Impor­tant:

The environment of an organism finds itself in playing an important role in deter­mining the options open to any individuals.

v. Understanding of Complexity Requires Models:

Ecology is a complex subject with huge variation in almost every scale. To under­stand these complexity mathematical model is required.

vi. Story Telling is Dangerous:

To explain the ecological process hypothesis has to be ex­plained properly.

vii. There are Hierarchies of Explanations:

For any observation there is often an immediate and delayed causes. These hierarchies need to be explained properly.

viii. There are Multiple Constrains on Organ­isms:

In evolution of species there are a num­ber of constrain (physical and evolutionary) on organisms.

ix. Chance is Important:

Chance events in ecol­ogy play a crucial role.

x. The Boundaries of Ecology are in the Mind of the Ecologist:

Domain of ecological un­derstanding is highly flexible. Modern ecology is thus an interdisciplinary science with various subdivision like plant ecol­ogy, animal ecology, and microbial ecology. It can further be segmented as ecology of individuals (autecology) or groups (synecology). With passage of time, varieties of dimensions of ecological sci­ences were developed with their interlink ages (Fig. 1.1).

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Other Papers Say: Criminalize ‘deepfake’ nudes

The following editorial originally appeared in The Seattle Times:

Taylor Swift may be the best-known victim whose images have been manipulated with AI into pornography. But creators of such nude “deepfakes” have spread this vile and frightening new form of online abuse across the nation. Washington lawmakers enacted protections earlier this year, but Congress needs to act.

Those targeted — predominantly women and teenage girls — have little recourse in many parts of the country. Even in Swift’s case, one such image circulated on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, 47 million times before that website removed it, according to The Guardian.

Chaired by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the Senate Commerce Committee is considering legislation that would make such deepfakes a federal crime and give victims assurance they can be removed quickly from the internet. Congress should act swiftly to enact the bill.

Washington is among at least 14 states that have penalties for AI-generated deepfakes. Earlier this year, Caroline Mullet, daughter of state Sen. Mark Mullet, bravely testified to this deeply disturbing but increasingly common trend: A classmate circulated fake images he’d first captured of girls at homecoming then digitally manipulated with an AI app to make photos contain nudity. Lawmakers voted unanimously to place those images on par with state child pornography possession laws, as well as create a way for victims depicted to sue creators and publishers in court.

But the internet does not stop at state lines. Criminalizing the behavior across all 50 states and U.S. territories is the only way to ensure uniformity for all who fall victim to this humiliating new online exploitation. As well, publishers have a duty to remove images or face penalties by the Federal Trade Commission under legislation being considered in Congress known as the TAKE IT DOWN Act.

The act would do two things. First, it would make AI-generated fake nudes punishable by prison time — two years if the victim is an adult; three if they’re a minor. Second, they would require publishers — whether a small website publisher or a massive social media company — to remove such imagery within 48 hours of contact by the victim.

Cantwell has a chance to introduce the bill into the Senate Commerce Committee. The senator is an outspoken champion of establishing digital privacy protections for Americans and has said she supports the bill.

The Seattle Times Editorial Board also backs comprehensive digital privacy protections in legislation Cantwell introduced alongside U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, earlier this year.

Independent of that legislation, TAKE IT DOWN is also sorely needed. Everyone, from Taylor Swift to teenagers growing up in an age where AI can create such damaging, harmful content, deserves that much.

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Collection  10 March 2022

Top 100 in Ecology

This collection highlights our most downloaded* ecology papers published in 2021. Featuring authors from aroud the world, these papers showcase valuable research from an international community.

*Data obtained from SN Insights which is based on Digital Science's Dimensions.

image of a turtle swimming surrounded by a school of fish

The first true millipede—1306 legs long

  • Paul E. Marek
  • Bruno A. Buzatto
  • Juanita Rodriguez

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Lethal coalitionary attacks of chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes troglodytes ) on gorillas ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla ) in the wild

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Defining priority areas for blue whale conservation and investigating overlap with vessel traffic in Chilean Patagonia, using a fast-fitting movement model

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Earliest evidence of herd-living and age segregation amongst dinosaurs

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Extreme miniaturization of a new amniote vertebrate and insights into the evolution of genital size in chameleons

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Excess protein enabled dog domestication during severe Ice Age winters

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Honey bee hives decrease wild bee abundance, species richness, and fruit count on farms regardless of wildflower strips

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Tracking late Pleistocene Neandertals on the Iberian coast

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Exposure to foreign gut microbiota can facilitate rapid dietary shifts

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Self-care tooling innovation in a disabled kea ( Nestor notabilis )

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Discovery of a colossal slickhead (Alepocephaliformes: Alepocephalidae): an active-swimming top predator in the deep waters of Suruga Bay, Japan

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Microplastics in fish and fishmeal: an emerging environmental challenge?

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An Italian dinosaur Lagerstätte reveals the tempo and mode of hadrosauriform body size evolution

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Seagrasses provide a novel ecosystem service by trapping marine plastics

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Mistaken identity may explain why male sea snakes ( Aipysurus laevis , Elapidae, Hydrophiinae) “attack” scuba divers

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Explainable identification and mapping of trees using UAV RGB image and deep learning

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The giant panda is cryptic

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Pivot burrowing of scarab beetle ( Trypoxylus dichotomus ) larva

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Redefining the oceanic distribution of Atlantic salmon

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Chest beats as an honest signal of body size in male mountain gorillas ( Gorilla beringei beringei )

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Powered flight in hatchling pterosaurs: evidence from wing form and bone strength

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Two wild female bonobos adopted infants from a different social group at Wamba

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Multiple pygmy blue whale acoustic populations in the Indian Ocean: whale song identifies a possible new population

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Action potentials induce biomagnetic fields in carnivorous Venus flytrap plants

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North Pacific warming shifts the juvenile range of a marine apex predator

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Spatial and temporal pattern of wildfires in California from 2000 to 2019

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Effects of climate change and land cover on the distributions of a critical tree family in the Philippines

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African soil properties and nutrients mapped at 30 m spatial resolution using two-scale ensemble machine learning

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Russian forest sequesters substantially more carbon than previously reported

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Isotope data from amino acids indicate Darwin’s ground sloth was not an herbivore

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Late Pleistocene human paleoecology in the highland savanna ecosystem of mainland Southeast Asia

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Early Pleistocene faunivorous hominins were not kleptoparasitic, and this impacted the evolution of human anatomy and socio-ecology

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An ecological niche shift for Neanderthal populations in Western Europe 70,000 years ago

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Surface slicks are pelagic nurseries for diverse ocean fauna

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Field measurements of a massive Porites coral at Goolboodi (Orpheus Island), Great Barrier Reef

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Ongoing ecological and evolutionary consequences by the presence of transgenes in a wild cotton population

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Novel and disappearing climates in the global surface ocean from 1800 to 2100

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Partial shading by solar panels delays bloom, increases floral abundance during the late-season for pollinators in a dryland, agrivoltaic ecosystem

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The early hunting dog from Dmanisi with comments on the social behaviour in Canidae and hominins

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Comprehensive comparative morphology and developmental staging of final instar larvae toward metamorphosis in the insect order Odonata

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G enome-wide data implicate terminal fusion automixis in king cobra facultative parthenogenesis

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New evidence from exceptionally “well-preserved” specimens sheds light on the structure of the ammonite brachial crown

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Population decline in a ground-nesting solitary squash bee ( Eucera pruinosa ) following exposure to a neonicotinoid insecticide treated crop ( Cucurbita pepo )

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Tropical deforestation induces thresholds of reproductive viability and habitat suitability in Earth’s largest eagles

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Biodiversity and ecosystem functions depend on environmental conditions and resources rather than the geodiversity of a tropical biodiversity hotspot

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Summer weather conditions influence winter survival of honey bees ( Apis mellifera ) in the northeastern United States

  • Martina Calovi
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Evidence that spillover from Marine Protected Areas benefits the spiny lobster ( Panulirus interruptus ) fishery in southern California

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Metal concentrations in coastal sharks from The Bahamas with a focus on the Caribbean Reef shark

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First tracks of newborn straight-tusked elephants ( Palaeoloxodon antiquus )

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An integrative analysis uncovers a new, pseudo-cryptic species of Amazonian marmoset (Primates: Callitrichidae: Mico ) from the arc of deforestation

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eDNA sampled from stream networks correlates with camera trap detection rates of terrestrial mammals

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Large-scale variations in the dynamics of Amazon forest canopy gaps from airborne lidar data and opportunities for tree mortality estimates

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Tipping point realized in cod fishery

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Temporal activity patterns suggesting niche partitioning of sympatric carnivores in Borneo, Malaysia

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No evidence of physiological declines with age in an extremely long-lived fish

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International fisheries threaten globally endangered sharks in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean: the case of the Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 reefer vessel seized within the Galápagos Marine Reserve

  • Elisa Bonaccorso
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Indirect effects of invasive rat removal result in recovery of island rocky intertidal community structure

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Assessing the carbon capture potential of a reforestation project

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The evolutionary history of manatees told by their mitogenomes

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Microplastics accumulate fungal pathogens in terrestrial ecosystems

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Advances in automatic identification of flying insects using optical sensors and machine learning

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Aboveground plant-to-plant communication reduces root nodule symbiosis and soil nutrient concentrations

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The rhizosphere microbiome plays a role in the resistance to soil-borne pathogens and nutrient uptake of strawberry cultivars under field conditions

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Highest risk abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear

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Future thermal regimes for epaulette sharks ( Hemiscyllium ocellatum ): growth and metabolic performance cease to be optimal

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Earliest evidence of marine habitat use by mammals

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Constraining the chronology and ecology of Late Acheulean and Middle Palaeolithic occupations at the margins of the monsoon

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Neonicotinoids disrupt memory, circadian behaviour and sleep

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Evaluation metrics and validation of presence-only species distribution models based on distributional maps with varying coverage

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Ecosystem response persists after a prolonged marine heatwave

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Rhizobia use a pathogenic-like effector to hijack leguminous nodulation signalling

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Camera trap placement for evaluating species richness, abundance, and activity

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Assessing biophysical and socio-economic impacts of climate change on regional avian biodiversity

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Smell of green leaf volatiles attracts white storks to freshly cut meadows

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Dinosaur senescence: a hadrosauroid with age-related diseases brings a new perspective of “old” dinosaurs

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Positive effects of COVID-19 lockdown on river water quality: evidence from River Damodar, India

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Snow algae blooms are beneficial for microinvertebrates assemblages (Tardigrada and Rotifera) on seasonal snow patches in Japan

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Coastal wetlands can be saved from sea level rise by recreating past tidal regimes

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Optimal fishing effort benefits fisheries and conservation

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The spreading of the invasive sacred ibis in Italy

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Exceptional fossil assemblages confirm the existence of complex Early Triassic ecosystems during the early Spathian

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Large language models don’t behave like people, even though we may expect them to

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One thing that makes large language models (LLMs) so powerful is the diversity of tasks to which they can be applied. The same machine-learning model that can help a graduate student draft an email could also aid a clinician in diagnosing cancer.

However, the wide applicability of these models also makes them challenging to evaluate in a systematic way. It would be impossible to create a benchmark dataset to test a model on every type of question it can be asked.

In a new paper , MIT researchers took a different approach. They argue that, because humans decide when to deploy large language models, evaluating a model requires an understanding of how people form beliefs about its capabilities.

For example, the graduate student must decide whether the model could be helpful in drafting a particular email, and the clinician must determine which cases would be best to consult the model on.

Building off this idea, the researchers created a framework to evaluate an LLM based on its alignment with a human’s beliefs about how it will perform on a certain task.

They introduce a human generalization function — a model of how people update their beliefs about an LLM’s capabilities after interacting with it. Then, they evaluate how aligned LLMs are with this human generalization function.

Their results indicate that when models are misaligned with the human generalization function, a user could be overconfident or underconfident about where to deploy it, which might cause the model to fail unexpectedly. Furthermore, due to this misalignment, more capable models tend to perform worse than smaller models in high-stakes situations.

“These tools are exciting because they are general-purpose, but because they are general-purpose, they will be collaborating with people, so we have to take the human in the loop into account,” says study co-author Ashesh Rambachan, assistant professor of economics and a principal investigator in the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS).

Rambachan is joined on the paper by lead author Keyon Vafa, a postdoc at Harvard University; and Sendhil Mullainathan, an MIT professor in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and of Economics, and a member of LIDS. The research will be presented at the International Conference on Machine Learning.

Human generalization

As we interact with other people, we form beliefs about what we think they do and do not know. For instance, if your friend is finicky about correcting people’s grammar, you might generalize and think they would also excel at sentence construction, even though you’ve never asked them questions about sentence construction.

“Language models often seem so human. We wanted to illustrate that this force of human generalization is also present in how people form beliefs about language models,” Rambachan says.

As a starting point, the researchers formally defined the human generalization function, which involves asking questions, observing how a person or LLM responds, and then making inferences about how that person or model would respond to related questions.

If someone sees that an LLM can correctly answer questions about matrix inversion, they might also assume it can ace questions about simple arithmetic. A model that is misaligned with this function — one that doesn’t perform well on questions a human expects it to answer correctly — could fail when deployed.

With that formal definition in hand, the researchers designed a survey to measure how people generalize when they interact with LLMs and other people.

They showed survey participants questions that a person or LLM got right or wrong and then asked if they thought that person or LLM would answer a related question correctly. Through the survey, they generated a dataset of nearly 19,000 examples of how humans generalize about LLM performance across 79 diverse tasks.

Measuring misalignment

They found that participants did quite well when asked whether a human who got one question right would answer a related question right, but they were much worse at generalizing about the performance of LLMs.

“Human generalization gets applied to language models, but that breaks down because these language models don’t actually show patterns of expertise like people would,” Rambachan says.

People were also more likely to update their beliefs about an LLM when it answered questions incorrectly than when it got questions right. They also tended to believe that LLM performance on simple questions would have little bearing on its performance on more complex questions.

In situations where people put more weight on incorrect responses, simpler models outperformed very large models like GPT-4.

“Language models that get better can almost trick people into thinking they will perform well on related questions when, in actuality, they don’t,” he says.

One possible explanation for why humans are worse at generalizing for LLMs could come from their novelty — people have far less experience interacting with LLMs than with other people.

“Moving forward, it is possible that we may get better just by virtue of interacting with language models more,” he says.

To this end, the researchers want to conduct additional studies of how people’s beliefs about LLMs evolve over time as they interact with a model. They also want to explore how human generalization could be incorporated into the development of LLMs.

“When we are training these algorithms in the first place, or trying to update them with human feedback, we need to account for the human generalization function in how we think about measuring performance,” he says.

In the meanwhile, the researchers hope their dataset could be used a benchmark to compare how LLMs perform related to the human generalization function, which could help improve the performance of models deployed in real-world situations.

“To me, the contribution of the paper is twofold. The first is practical: The paper uncovers a critical issue with deploying LLMs for general consumer use. If people don’t have the right understanding of when LLMs will be accurate and when they will fail, then they will be more likely to see mistakes and perhaps be discouraged from further use. This highlights the issue of aligning the models with people's understanding of generalization,” says Alex Imas, professor of behavioral science and economics at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, who was not involved with this work. “The second contribution is more fundamental: The lack of generalization to expected problems and domains helps in getting a better picture of what the models are doing when they get a problem ‘correct.’ It provides a test of whether LLMs ‘understand’ the problem they are solving.”

This research was funded, in part, by the Harvard Data Science Initiative and the Center for Applied AI at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

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Guest Essay

Aaron Sorkin: How I Would Script This Moment for Biden and the Democrats

A standing microphone hangs over the president’s desk in the Oval Office. In the background are gold curtains and a Childe Hassam painting of American flags.

By Aaron Sorkin

Mr. Sorkin is a playwright and screenwriter.

Update: Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he would not seek re-election.

The Paley Center for Media just opened an exhibition celebrating the 25th anniversary of “The West Wing,” the NBC series I wrote from 1999 to 2003. Some of the show’s story points have become outdated in the last quarter-century (the first five minutes of the first episode depended entirely on the audience being unfamiliar with the acronym POTUS), while others turned out to be — well, not prescient, but sadly coincidental.

Gunmen tried to shoot a character after an event with President Bartlet at the end of Season 1. And at the end of the second season, in an episode called “Two Cathedrals,” a serious illness that Bartlet had been concealing from the public had come to light, and the president, hobbled, faced the question of whether to run for re-election. “Yeah,” he said in the third season opener. “And I’m going to win.”

Which is exactly what President Biden has been signaling since the day after his bad night.

Because I needed the “West Wing” audience to find President Bartlet’s intransigence heroic, I didn’t really dramatize any downward pull that his illness was having on his re-election chances. And much more important, I didn’t dramatize any danger posed by Bartlet’s opponent winning.

But what if the show had gone another way?

What if, as a result of Bartlet revealing his illness, polling showed him losing to his likely opponent? And what if that opponent, rather than being simply unexceptional, had been a dump truck of ignorance and bad intentions? What if Bartlet’s opponent had been a dangerous imbecile with an observable psychiatric disorder who related to his supporters on a fourth-grade level and treated the law as something for suckers and poor people? And was a hero to white supremacists?

We’d have had Bartlet drop out of the race and endorse whoever had the best chance of beating the guy.

The problem in the real world is that there isn’t a Democrat who is polling significantly better than Mr. Biden. And quitting, as heroic as it may be in this case, doesn’t really put a lump in our throats.

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