British Ecological Society Sign Up Information

Associate Editor open call
 

Apply now to become an Associate Editor with one of our seven high-profile journals. Open to researchers worldwide, this is a great opportunity to work alongside the Senior Editors in assessing manuscripts, to give back to the community and to stay up to date with the latest research.

Sign up to our next Ecology Live seminar with Florian Altermatt, University of Zurich and catch up on last week''s seminar with Juliet Vickery.

Joining the pandemic response
 

With coronavirus hitting the UK, BES member Arron Watson tells us why he swapped microscopes and aquatic invertebrates for a role on the incident team at the Environment Agency.

Recovering pine marten populations benefit red squirrels, but the grey squirrel still poses a problem in urban areas
 

UK red squirrels are benefitting from recovering pine marten populations, according to new research in Journal of Applied Ecology, but the pine martens' ability to control invasive grey squirrels is limited by urban areas and lack of forest cover.

Policy brief
 

The BES Climate Change Ecology SIG has produced a useful policy brief on assessing adaptation progress for nature, following a two-day workshop. An issue full of complexities and nuance - read more about it in Dr. Olly Watts' blogpost here.

Capturing Ecology: Behind the Lens
 

Join us every Wednesday at 16:30 (BST) on our Instagram account, as we interview LIVE the photographers behind our annual photography competition, Capturing Ecology. Catch up with the first two interviews anytime on our Instagram.

Our second round of funding for 2020 is now OPEN!
 

Applications are now live for: Training & Travel, Ecologists in Africa, Small Research, Large Research & Outreach grants. Deadline: 17:00 (BST) Monday 7 September.

Sign up to our next Ecology Live seminar this Thursday at 15:00 (BST) with Fidisoa Rasambainarivo from Mahaliana Labs and catch up on last week''s seminar with Franciska de Vries.

New study reveals rarity of the Spirit Bear and gaps in their protection in the Great Bear Rainforest
 

Research published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence reveals that the 'spirit bear gene', responsible for white-coated black bears, is up to 50% rarer in the Great Bear Rainforest than previously estimated. Worryingly the geographic hotspots for the gene lack adequate protection.

Rhino horn consumers in Vietnam do not trust demand reduction campaigns
 

A new study in People and Nature reveals that rhino horn consumers in Vietnam mostly listen to individuals in their networks who use the product, and do not trust demand reduction campaigns.

Aquatic SIG Annual Meeting
 

Join the Aquatic SIG this September for their Online Annual Meeting! And if you're an ECR with research to share, you can send in an abstract to present your work on Twitter. Find out more here and register before 14 August.

Call for Associate Editors
 

The deadline for our journals' Associate Editor open call has been extended to 7 August 2020! Wherever you are in the world, don't miss this opportunity to contribute to the publishing landscape. All career stages are welcome - apply now.
 
Have a question about the time commitment or level of experience needed? Check out the FAQs from a recent Twitter discussion with our current board members.

Reviewing our funding for ecology
 

We are looking for your feedback to help us ensure our grants are serving our community well. Please take our survey, which should take no more than 15 minutes to complete.

BES responds to the UN's Global Biodiversity Outlook report
 

"The UN's Global Biodiversity Outlook report brings together the highest quality evidence on the state of nature across the globe and should be commended. The crisis in nature is such that we need to act now." said Jane Memmott.

Join our network for BAME ecologists in the UK
 

Our newly launched BAME Ecologist Network is for all ecologists who self-identify as Black British, British Asian or Person of Colour. In this blog, Reuben Fakoya Brooks speaks powerfully from personal experience about the importance of Black representation in ecology. Register your interest in joining the network.

Ecologists confirm Alan Turing's theory for Australian fairy circles
 

Research published in Journal of Ecology shows for the first time that Alan Turing's pattern theory explains Australia's fairy circles, one of the most visually striking phenomena in nature.

Our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are taking to Twitter in brand new ways!
 

Look out for #BESForestDay on 1 October as our Forest SIG promotes some of the amazing forest research happening right now! Alternatively, if you're using cutting edge technology and methods in your research, why not send in an abstract to the Twitter conference #Tropicon2020 before the deadline this Friday?

Capturing Ecology
 

Alwin Hardenbol's stunning photograph of a flying Dalmatian Pelican has been selected as the overall winner of our annual photography competition, 'Capturing Ecology'.

Winter Edition of The Niche
 

Arriving this week - your winter edition of The Niche. Featuring the Mauritius fody, a mini biodiversity tour of Dominica, and a landmark account of the large-leaved lime. Plus all the latest news, opinion and research from your Society.

Student Futures & Research Conference
 

Taking place during National Careers Week - 4 & 5 March, we are opening up applications for two exciting student opportunities. For further details, including eligibility and how to apply, visit here.

Grime Reviews series
 

Journal of Ecology announced their new Grime Reviews series - a collection of timely and provocative review papers, focussed on a specific subject area. Submit your review proposal for the next topic: "What can remote sensing do for plant ecology?" by 31 Jan 2021.

Online Conference
 

What better way to celebrate National Tree Week than by registering for the Forest SIG & Institute of Chartered Foresters online conference! Join them this February as they explore and showcase research on urban greenspace. Find out more & register here.

First full issue of Ecological Solutions and Evidence now online
 

Our new journal Ecological Solutions and Evidence has published its first full issue! Featuring articles from both academics and ecological practitioners to help bridge the gap between research and practice. Read the issue along with the journal's first Editor's Choice and Behind the Cover blog posts.

Sign up to our next Ecology Live seminar this Thursday at 15:00 (BST) with Maydianne Andrade of the University of Toronto and catch up on our last seminar with Alan Knapp.

Childhood connection to nature has many benefits but is not universally positive, finds review
 

A review in People and Nature by Professor Louise Chawla has found that children are happier and more likely to protect the natural world when they are more connected to it, but this connection can also generate negative emotions linked to issues like climate change.

Our second round of funding for 2020 is currently open!
 

Training & Travel Grants are still available for students who are presenting at conferences, or attending courses up to ?500 on a first come first serve basis. We''re also offering grants for attendance to virtual events up to ?250.

Special Interest Group (SIG) events
 

Interested in aquatic ecology? Or wondering how fieldwork teaching can be delivered during COVID? Then make sure to check out the upcoming events from our Aquatic and Teaching & Learning SIGs! Registration for both these events is this Friday 14 August.

Capturing Ecology
 

Our annual photographic competition Capturing Ecology is OPEN! Submit your images into one of our 6 categories, and be in with the chance of winning some great prizes. Deadline: Monday 28 September 2020.

2020 Membership Survey
 

Members are central to all that we do at the BES. We''d like to hear from you about your experience as a member or someone who is aware of the Society so we can improve. Complete our survey here.

Sign up to our next Ecology Live seminar this Thursday at 15:00 (BST) with Adam Algar of the University of Nottingham and catch up on our last seminar with Alexandra Harmon-Threatt.

Younger generation fail to notice environmental decline due to generational amnesia
 

Shifting baseline syndrome means that young people are not as aware of environmental changes compared to the older generation, according to a new report published in People and Nature by researchers at Royal Holloway, University of London and ZSL.

Virtual Issue
 

Take a look at this Virtual Issue, showcasing recent research looking to increase our understanding and improve management strategies for forests undergoing novel disturbances. 

Special Interest Group (SIG) event
 

Do you work on tropical ecology or conservation? Want to share advances in technology and innovative methods in the field? Then send in an abstract today to present at the Tropical Ecology and Conservation SIG Twitter Conference!

BES/DAERA Policy Fellowship
 

Extended: The BES/DAERA Policy Fellowship offers an ecologist the chance to spend up to six months within a Northern Ireland government department or executive agency, applying their scientific expertise to a policy challenge. Closes 30 August 2020.

AER Live: free online workshops
 

Applied Ecology Resources (AER), our new online information repository, has launched a series of free, interactive online workshops for applied ecologists and practitioners. Join us for the first workshop on integrating scientific evidence into conservation decision-making on Tuesday 15 September at 14:00 BST. Thanks to Ecology Resources Ltd for sponsoring this workshop.

The importance of local knowledge
 

Greater collaboration between Indigenous & local knowledge holders and scientific researchers is increasingly acknowledged as important for ecology and conservation research. This Special Feature explores the benefits and challenges of such collaborations.

Catch up on some fantastic talks
 

Ecology Live, the series of online talks we started at the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown, has now come to a close. All 20 talks are on our YouTube channel for you to watch at any time. Ecology Live won't be away for long: there'll be another series next year.

Competition time: Enter your photos
 

Our annual photographic competition Capturing Ecology is still open! Submit your images to one of our six categories today and be in with the chance of winning some great prizes. Deadline: Monday 28 September.

The multiple benefits of conserving native forest
 

Research published in the Journal of Applied Ecology shows how the presence of Chaco Serrano forest remnants in the vicinity of soybean fields has led to an increase in the diversity of insects that control pests. This translates into lower herbivory and higher yield in soybean plants.

Festival of Ecology: Late submission posters
 

We are delighted to have received abstracts from over 50 countries around the world and look forward to a truly international meeting! We have a limited number of eposter with lightning talk presentations available, which will be offered on a first come first served basis, closing by 17:00 (BST) Friday 30 October.

Ants adapt tool use to avoid drowning
 

Researchers have shown for the first time that a species of ant has the remarkable ability to adapt its tool use. The study published in Functional Ecology demonstrated that black imported fire ants can use sand grains to syphon liquid when faced with the risk of drowning.

Life in Extreme Environments
 

New to our Ecological Reviews series, Life in Extreme Environments provides a captivating account of diverse systems, from deep ocean trenches to outer space, and their susceptibility and resilience to change. BES members get 25% off all titles in the series.

Crayfish 'trapping' fails to control invasive species
 

Trapping to eat invasive American signal crayfish has been promoted as a potential control measure to help protect native species, but recent research in Journal of Applied Ecology finds that trapping is ineffective in controlling signal crayfish numbers.

Free wills over the phone
 

BES has launched a free telephone wills service for members who are not able to complete a will online or need additional advice. To book an appointment visit www.farewill.com/bes-phone. For more information contact our Development manager, Paul.

Apply for our POST Fellowship
 

An excellent opportunity for PhD students to better understand the UK science-policy landscape, through synthesising scientific evidence in emerging policy areas. Applications close 23:59 (BST) on 7 June - apply now. Read Rebecca Robertson's blog post on her experience.

Sign up to our next Ecology Live seminar with Diogo Verissimo from the University of Oxford and catch up with last week''s seminar with Kate Jones.

Vacancy on the Board of Trustees for an Early Career Representative
 

Wish to influence your Society at the highest level? We are seeking nominations for the Early Career Representative of the Board of Trustees. Deadline for nominations is 10:00 (BST) on 22 June.

New blog post
 

Functional Ecology discuss their analysis of submissions to our journals in the short time since the Covid-19 lockdown, and have found no noticeable difference. However, they note that though the pandemic is likely to affect some scientific output, some members will be more affected than others.

Capturing Ecology: Behind the Lens
 

We are excited to announce that this week we launched a new series of short live interviews, which tell the stories of the photographers behind our annual photography competition. Every Wednesday at 16:30 (BST) on our Instagram page.

Member story
 

Helen Whitehead, a self-funded PhD student at the University of Salford, has faced disruption to her studies, finances and wedding plans thanks to Covid-19. She says that while many people are going through a lot right now, it's important to be kind to yourself. Read here.

Members'' Training Hub
 

We''re excited to launch our Members'' Training Hub. BES members can now benefit from exclusive access to self-paced video courses and downloadable resources. Topics include graphic design, multimedia production, social media and much more.

We've lined up more great speakers for our #EcologyLive talks throughout July and August. If you've not registered yet, make sure you don't miss out on 30min of the latest ecological research every Thursday at 15:00 BST. This week, Bill Sutherland of Cambridge University asks how we can make ecology and conservation more professional.
 

Learning with Nature
 

We have launched a competition for under 16s to tell us how they have used nature to learn during lockdown. We want to see stories, diary entries, drawings, collages, photos, poems - the more creative the better! Deadline is 10:00 BST Monday 13 July and guidelines must be read by a parent/guardian before entering.

How fish got onto land, and stayed there
 

Research on blenny fish, published in Functional Ecology, suggests that being a 'jack-of-all-trades' allows species to make the dramatic transition onto land, but adapting into a 'master of one' allows them to stay there.

Quantitative SIG Annual Meeting
 

Don't miss the Quantitative SIG Annual Meeting happening online from 27 - 30 July! Abstract submission is also open until Wednesday 8 July, find out more here.

Daniel Becker wins the Sidnie Manton Award
 

Daniel Becker, postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University, has been awarded the British Ecological Society's Sidnie Manton Award for the best review article in Journal of Animal Ecology by an early career researcher.

Acknowledging and celebrating Black ecologists
 

Our journals are excited to present a month-long blog series dedicated to Black History Month. Throughout October, we will be promoting and profiling the work of Black ecologists around the world.

AER Live: October - a workshop for practitioners
 

Join us for the next Applied Ecology Resources (AER) Live workshop on Thursday 22 October at 16:00 BST where ecological consultant Matthew Bowell will be discussing how knowledge can be exchanged between academia and practice. Missed last month's workshop? Catch up now on the AER YouTube Channel.

Festival of Ecology
 

Registration and abstract submission for a Festival of Ecology are open! Join us for five days of live and on demand content, with plenary lectures, thematic sessions, workshops & networking opportunities. Present your research to the global community and submit an abstract today.

Autumn edition of The Niche
 

Have you caught up on your autumn edition of The Niche? Slow ecology, plastic pollution, art and science communication. Plus research from our journals, including the study behind our cover star, the Spirit bear. Not a BES member? Stay up to date with ecology by joining our readership today.

Simultaneous measurement of multiple biodiversity components allows for early and better detection of trends
 

Research published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence shows how integrating measurements of Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) into a national biodiversity monitoring programme can better report trends in species distribution and occupancy.

Yadvinder Malhi to be next president of the BES
 

Congratulations to Yadvinder Malhi of the University of Oxford, who has been voted President-Elect of the BES following an online ballot of members. He will take up the presidency in 12 months' time when current president Jane Memmott's term comes to an end. Yvonne Buckley of Trinity College Dublin was also elected Vice-President of the BES, Zenobia Lewis of the University of Liverpool will become Chair of the Education and Careers Committee and Melanie Edgar is the new Early Careers Representative.

Festival of Ecology
 

Many thanks to all of those that participated in a great week at our Festival of Ecology! Don't forget that content is available to view on-demand until 23:59 (GMT), Monday 18 December. Looking forward to 2021, we are excited to invite you to Ecology Across Borders 2021, our Joint Annual Meeting with the French Society for Ecology and Evolution (SFE?).

How scientists are using declassified military photographs to analyse historical ecological change
 

Research presented at the Festival of Ecology reveals how Cold War spy satellite images can be used to explore changes in the environment, including deforestation in Romania, marmot decline in Kazakhstan and ecological damage from bombs in Vietnam.?

Climate warming linked to tree leaf unfolding and flowering growing apart
 

For the first time, researchers have found that the time between leaf unfolding and flowering in European trees is growing apart, with implications for tree fitness and ecosystems. The findings are published in the Journal of Ecology.