Ecology (journal)

Ecology (journal)
source
Title	Ecology
Discipline	Ecology
Abbreviation	Ecology
Editor	[name redacted]
Publisher	Ecological Society of America
Country	United States
History	1920–present
Frequency	Monthly
Impact	[value redacted]
Issn	0012-9658

Ecology (journal) is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Ecological Society of America. It publishes original research on organismal, population, community, ecosystem, landscape, and global ecology, and has played a formative role in shaping contemporary ecological thought. Articles in the journal have influenced conservation practice, environmental policy, and theoretical synthesis across academic institutions and international organizations.

History

First issued in 1920 under the auspices of the Ecological Society of America, the journal emerged during an era of institutional consolidation that included the founding of the Smithsonian Institution's Office of Biological Survey, the rise of the Rockefeller Foundation funding for biological sciences, and the growth of university departments such as those at the University of California, Berkeley and Yale University. Early editorial stewardship intersected with prominent figures associated with the American Museum of Natural History, the Chicago School of Ecology at the University of Chicago, and field stations such as the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. Through the mid-20th century the journal reflected debates linked to work by researchers connected to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the Carnegie Institution for Science. During the postwar period, editorial direction engaged topics informed by scientists affiliated with the Brookhaven National Laboratory, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and the U.S. Forest Service. Later developments saw contributions from scholars at the Max Planck Society, the British Ecological Society, and the Australian National University, reinforcing the journal’s international stature. Major thematic shifts mirrored field-wide movements associated with the Green Revolution, the Endangered Species Act, and the expansion of computational approaches pioneered in parallel at institutions like the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Scope and Content

The journal's remit spans empirical field studies, experimental manipulations, meta-analyses, and theoretical models produced by authors affiliated with entities such as the Royal Society, the European Commission, and national research councils including the National Science Foundation and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Content commonly addresses biodiversity questions linked to agencies like the U.S. National Park Service and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, ecosystem processes relevant to the United Nations Environment Programme, and landscape dynamics studied at sites including the Yellowstone National Park and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Methodological advances published in the journal often draw on collaborations with researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Princeton University, and the University of Oxford, and intersect with disciplines represented at venues such as the Royal Society of London meetings. Special sections and invited syntheses have connected to global assessments undertaken by organizations like the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and programs coordinated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Editorial Board and Peer Review

The editorial board comprises senior scientists and subject editors affiliated with universities and institutes such as Stanford University, Harvard University, the University of Cambridge, and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology. Peer review follows single- or double-blind protocols coordinated by the editorial office in partnership with the Ecological Society of America and leverages reviewer expertise drawn from networks that include members of the International Association for Ecology and committees connected to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Editorial policies emphasize research integrity consistent with guidelines promoted by the Committee on Publication Ethics and often require data availability statements in line with practices advocated by the Open Science Framework and major funding bodies like the European Research Council.

Publication and Access

Published monthly, the journal works with production services rooted in the scholarly publishing landscape that includes collaborations with societies such as the Society for Conservation Biology and distribution channels used by academic libraries at the Library of Congress and the Bodleian Library. Access models have evolved from subscription-based circulation to hybrid and open-access options influenced by mandates from funders including the Wellcome Trust and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Archival backfiles are housed in institutional repositories and curated collections similar to those maintained by the Biodiversity Heritage Library and national libraries in countries such as Canada and Germany. Special issues occasionally coincide with conferences organized by groups like the Society for Ecological Restoration and the International Biogeography Society.

Impact and Reception

The journal is widely cited across literature produced by researchers at institutions including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, and is recognized in assessment exercises run by bodies such as the Times Higher Education rankings and indices compiled by the Institute for Scientific Information. Landmark papers published in the journal have been influential in debates involving policymakers at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and conservationists associated with the World Wildlife Fund. Its role in disseminating foundational concepts has elicited commentary in outlets connected to the National Geographic Society and retrospectives by scholars at the American Philosophical Society. The journal continues to shape discourse at the intersection of science and stewardship across global research networks.

Category:Ecology journals