Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment最新文献

{"title":"Prebreeding populations and the importance of life history for conserving imperiled seabirds","authors":"Liam U Taylor,&nbsp;Eleanor Gnam","doi":"10.1002/fee.70049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.70049","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Seabird conservation often focuses on nestlings and breeding adults. Yet imperiled seabird populations also contain prebreeders, including juveniles and subadults, that wait several years before breeding at colonies. Using previously published data on reproductive and survival rates for 90 species to quantify the conservation relevance of prebreeding seabirds, we found that (i) prebreeders on average represent about half of seabird populations (median: 48.1%, range: 7.6–70.0%); (ii) while seabird population growth is much more sensitive to adult survival than prebreeder survival, human-driven changes may shift the importance of prebreeders for future population stability; and (iii) lowering the breeding age is a potentially useful, but underexplored, route to increasing population growth. Managing prebreeders could thus play a key role in protecting seabirds. This task may require addressing fundamental questions about the behavior of young birds. Broadly, we suggest that life-history traits (eg breeding age) shape both obstacles to, and opportunities for, successful conservation.</p>","PeriodicalId":171,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment","volume":"24 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148662219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Federal scientists, a great American invention: a letter to our federal colleagues","authors":"Joshua Lawler,&nbsp;Max Lambert,&nbsp;Maureen Ryan,&nbsp;Myra Finkelstein,&nbsp;David Gill,&nbsp;Brian Harvey,&nbsp;Jonathan Koch,&nbsp;Bonnie McGill","doi":"10.1002/fee.70050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.70050","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;A recent analysis by &lt;i&gt;Science&lt;/i&gt; found that 10,109 PhDs in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and health fields in the US federal government voluntarily left or involuntarily lost (collectively hereafter, “departed from”) their jobs in 2025. The highest numbers of STEM PhDs departed from the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Likewise, the greatest percentage of STEM PhDs (40%) departed from the National Science Foundation. Many other STEM PhDs also departed from environmental agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (23%), USDA Forest Service (22%), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (19%), US Geological Survey (14%), and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (12%). Although there were some hires across the 14 agencies included in the analysis, the number of departures exceeded those hired by a factor of 11, for a net loss of 17% of the workforce—within a single year alone.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the past year, we watched this exodus and the strain that it and the associated uncertainties put on our colleagues across the federal agencies. These are colleagues who do some of the world's most important research, reinforcing the country's status as a global leader in science and technological innovation. Reflecting on these events, we want to express appreciation to federal scientists, engineers, and health professionals for their contributions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To our federal science colleagues, past and present,&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We are grateful for your scholarship, integrity, curiosity, and dedication to the scientific endeavor, to the public good, and to the United States of America. Your expertise, achievements, and critical thinking have guided domestic policies and administrations for decades. Your research has generated breakthroughs in medicine, computer science, and renewable energy; bolstered the economy; informed critical weather forecasts and natural disaster warnings; and ensured clean water, safe food, productive farms, healthy forests, sustainable fisheries, resilient infrastructure, and secure communities. You have made the nation healthier, safer, and capable of more than our predecessors could have ever imagined, enabling millions to thrive within a vibrant country. Your discoveries have changed our fundamental understanding of ourselves, the environment, the planet, and the universe and, in the process, have inspired generations of Americans.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;As Americans spend the year celebrating our nation's 250th anniversary, one of the country's greatest inventions—you, our federal science workforce—is particularly worthy of admiration. Our founders deeply valued science. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson occupy unique places in America's psyche as, like you, patriot scientists. They and two centuries of Americans recognized vigorous scientific enterprise as essential to maintain a strong and healthy nation. Over time, as the nati","PeriodicalId":171,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment","volume":"24 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fee.70050","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148662763","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The creeping normality of AI in the life sciences","authors":"Ivan Jarić,&nbsp;Pavel Pipek,&nbsp;Susan Canavan,&nbsp;Josh A Firth,&nbsp;Michael G Bertram","doi":"10.1002/fee.70059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.70059","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Over the past decade, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has become increasingly embedded in the everyday work of researchers across the life sciences, particularly in the form of large language models (LLMs), driving gradual, often imperceptible, but nevertheless transformative changes in how research is performed. In many ways, the changes brought about by LLMs match the concept of “creeping normality”—that is, a process by which a major change can be normalized and perceived as acceptable if it happens gradually through small, often subtle increments. Here, we highlight how LLMs are gradually but substantially reconfiguring thinking, collaborations, skill sets, training, expertise, and norms in the life sciences over time (Table 1).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The routine use of LLMs is bound to affect the ways in which scientists interact and collaborate. Informal collaboration networks, also referred to as the “invisible college”, are recognized as highly valuable resources for researchers, not only providing information exchange and guidance but also facilitating the development of scientific projects, ultimately improving scholarly impact (Danús &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. &lt;span&gt;2026&lt;/span&gt;). However, researchers may increasingly switch to sharing and exploring their ideas with an LLM instead of a collaborator. Furthermore, the support and affirmation provided by LLMs might also reduce motivation to seek external expertise from disparate research fields or regions, or on a particular taxonomic group, methodology, or technical approach. This is highly relevant for the life sciences because of the extent to which this research area depends on cross-sectoral collaboration, including bringing together different systems and approaches. It could lead to a greater disconnection from such informal collaborative networks and, in turn, to a reduced exposure to new ideas by promoting siloed research, ultimately reducing long-term productivity and impact. In addition, reliance of researchers on the expertise of LLMs could make some occupations, such as in-house statisticians or taxonomists, be perceived as obsolete.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Beyond collaborations, the accelerating adoption of LLMs is also likely to affect our individual information-seeking and intellectual processes. Large language models are rapidly supplanting the use of other sources of information, thereby diminishing the usage of online encyclopedias, search engines, and scientific databases. As platforms that provide feedback only to the questions one thinks of asking, LLMs may cause the process of idea generation to shift toward echo-chamber thinking, while their sycophantic tendencies can lead to confirmation bias and reduced accuracy (Cheng &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. &lt;span&gt;2026&lt;/span&gt;; Ibrahim &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. &lt;span&gt;2026&lt;/span&gt;). Moreover, the use of LLMs may drive homogenization of scientific work (Moon &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. &lt;span&gt;2025&lt;/span&gt;), with many researchers relying on the same AI models for almost all aspects of their work process, pote","PeriodicalId":171,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment","volume":"24 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fee.70059","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148662160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The need for economics in wildlife conservation and management","authors":"Christopher A Lepczyk,&nbsp;Vasavi Prakash,&nbsp;Jean E Fantle-Lepczyk","doi":"10.1002/fee.70039","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.70039","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Money makes the world go around&lt;/i&gt; – from the song “Sitting Pretty (The Money Song)” in the musical &lt;i&gt;Cabaret&lt;/i&gt;*&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;At its heart, the development of economics is rooted in land, agriculture, and natural resources and has guided resource management agencies and policymakers, including those involved with fisheries and forestry. However, one area where economics is used far less than it should be is wildlife conservation and management, whose practitioners are charged with a variety of tasks that collectively focus on managing wildlife populations. Whether recovering, maintaining, or controlling populations of endangered, game, or invasive species, respectively, wildlife managers use various tools to directly or indirectly influence a species’ population trajectory. Moreover, they often manage multiple species concurrently, working to restore ecosystems, manage landscapes, or address human–wildlife conflicts. While there are specific cases where a government agency or non-profit organization provides an economic evaluation of one or more management activities, rarely have such analyses been applied to issues related to wildlife.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Economics lends itself well to conservation and management because ecology and economics inherently use the same underlying concepts to explain how trade-offs, fluxes, and interactions work. Economic analysis shows that some wildlife, as an asset and if protected, can generate substantial economic benefits. Conversely, other wildlife (e.g., invasive species), as a liability, can impose substantial economic costs. Viewing wildlife through an economic lens either as a natural asset or a potential liability, similar to manufactured capital, offers fresh perspectives for mitigating human–wildlife conflicts, reconciling conservation with hunting, generating new funding sources, and supporting innovative financial mechanisms that address market and governance shortcomings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Economic analysis is particularly valuable in areas of wildlife conservation where decisions are characterized by high uncertainty, limited funding, and irreversible ecological consequences. Threatened and endangered species represent the clearest case. Agencies routinely face implicit triage decisions, but species recovery plans often outline biological targets, rarely assessing the relative cost-effectiveness of alternative interventions such as habitat restoration, predator control, or captive breeding. Because conservation budgets are persistently limited, economic analysis can help managers prioritize actions that deliver the greatest improvement per dollar spent, rather than relying on tradition or political appeal. Similarly, the IUCN Red List process increasingly emphasizes quantitative criteria; economic valuation could complement these assessments by identifying where investments would yield the largest payoffs in avoided losses or improved ecosystem services.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Invasive wildlife is another area ripe for economic evaluatio","PeriodicalId":171,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment","volume":"24 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fee.70039","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148134656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Anuran call properties as reliable indicators of environmental suitability for reproduction","authors":"Julianne E Pekny,&nbsp;Brian D Todd,&nbsp;Eric Post","doi":"10.1002/fee.70031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.70031","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The onset of animal breeding activity is often accompanied by auditory signals, typically produced by males, that indicate reproductive status to potential mates and competitors. Here, using male anuran advertisement calls as a case study, we present the novel hypothesis that characteristics of ectotherm auditory signals that are modulated by temperature may also serve as bioclimatic indicators of the suitability of proximal abiotic conditions for reproduction. According to this hypothesis, thermal constraints on signal characteristics, such as call rate and duration, may facilitate tracking of environmental conditions by females. Through integrative analysis of empirical ecological studies, we demonstrate how variation in call properties may influence female reproductive physiology and behavior. We then outline how this proposed mechanism may enable environmental tracking and phenological shifts with climate change, provide guidelines for experimentally testing this hypothesis, and discuss applications of findings from this research to conservation management for species of concern.</p>","PeriodicalId":171,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment","volume":"24 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fee.70031","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148108429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Subsistence harvest for food and pets associated with declining global mammal populations","authors":"Jacob E Hill,&nbsp;Kenneth F Kellner,&nbsp;Jerrold L Belant","doi":"10.1002/fee.70044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.70044","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Subsistence harvest can have substantial impacts on mammalian biodiversity, yet its effects on the conservation status of mammal species are poorly understood. We analyzed trade and use data in species accounts from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List to examine the effects of subsistence harvest on the conservation status of 1723 terrestrial mammal species worldwide. Species harvested for subsistence were more likely to have decreasing population trends. Among five types of subsistence use examined, only two types of use—for food and pets—were associated with declining population trends. Food was the most common subsistence use, affecting more than two-thirds of all mammal species examined. We suggest that current harvesting levels of wild mammals for subsistence, especially as food, may contribute to extinction risk because decreasing populations are a precursor to being listed in a threatened IUCN Red List category. However, other factors, such as habitat loss, likely also play a role. Improved harvest management is therefore needed to maintain mammal populations as ecological and food resources.</p>","PeriodicalId":171,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment","volume":"24 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fee.70044","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148108580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biodiversity and biomass co-regulate urban forest drought resistance","authors":"Xiaoling Wang,&nbsp;Bin Chen,&nbsp;Zhiwen Gao,&nbsp;Alice Hughes,&nbsp;Kun Song,&nbsp;Liangjun Da","doi":"10.1002/fee.70045","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.70045","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Severe droughts induced by climate change present substantial challenges to urban forests. While the role that species richness plays in enhancing drought resistance in natural ecosystems has been highlighted in previous studies, its impact within urban forests remains less understood. Leveraging extensive field-based measurements across 1115 forest patches and 477 tree species in 116 cities in Yunnan Province, China, we found that species richness and forest cover co-regulate drought resistance in urban settings. However, a consistent and significant positive effect of species richness was observed primarily in warm, cloudy, higher-income regions during infrequent dry-season droughts. Urban forests characterized by a higher proportion of non-native and evergreen species also exhibited greater drought resistance. These results underscore the importance of effective management in urban forests to enhance their resilience against extreme drought.</p>","PeriodicalId":171,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment","volume":"24 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fee.70045","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148106227","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Historical art as a source of insight for studies of environmental change","authors":"Dana R Warren,&nbsp;Harper M Loeb,&nbsp;Barry A Logan,&nbsp;Marlyse C Duguid","doi":"10.1002/fee.70046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.70046","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The field of historical ecology continues to grow as we seek to understand the magnitudes and rates of environmental change and to quantify impacts of the Anthropocene. Historical artwork has not been widely recognized as a tool in this endeavor, but we find that it can be a valuable source of insight. We conducted a literature review that identified 34 peer-reviewed articles in which historical artwork (primarily paintings) was used to explore past ecological and environmental conditions. Several of these articles explicitly addressed concerns raised around potential bias in artwork, and some noted that collaboration with art historians can help address questions of reliability. Articles included within this review fell largely into four categories based on image focus and the time period during which the artwork was created: Neolithic cave paintings; ancient Greco-Roman mosaics and pottery; still-life paintings and sketches (10th–17th centuries CE); and landscape paintings, engravings, and sketches (16th–20th centuries CE).</p>","PeriodicalId":171,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment","volume":"24 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148122074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":171,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment","volume":"24 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148064496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enabling pastoralist management of rangelands to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality","authors":"Mounir Louhaichi,&nbsp;Jonathan Davies,&nbsp;Pedro Maria Herrera Calvo,&nbsp;Bora Masumbuko,&nbsp;Hanspeter Liniger,&nbsp;Rima Mekdaschi Studer,&nbsp;Nicole Harari,&nbsp;Maryam Niamir-Fuller","doi":"10.1002/fee.70037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.70037","url":null,"abstract":"<p>\u0000 <b>Rangelands cover 54% of the global terrestrial area and are threatened by land conversion and degradation, which erodes their global value and weakens the livelihoods of pastoralists who manage them. Sustainable Development Goal Target 15.3 on Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) provides a framework for sustainable rangelands management, but countries face several challenges in achieving LDN targets in rangelands. Overcoming these challenges requires countries to enable appropriate investment in sustainable rangelands management by enhancing governance and land tenure, strengthening policies across several sectors, halting conversion of rangelands, and adopting suitable progress indicators for monitoring rangeland health and pastoral governance. Governments should place greater emphasis on the value of sustainable rangelands management for delivering national environmental and development commitments and should encourage investment and interdisciplinary research to promote the multiple values of healthy rangelands</b>.</p>","PeriodicalId":171,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment","volume":"24 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.6,"publicationDate":"2026-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/fee.70037","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148085851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}