The British Ecological Society (BES) has revealed the winners of its annual photography competition 'Capturing Ecology'. The images, taken by international ecologists and students, celebrate various aspects of ecology and feature a variety of flora and fauna from around the world.
The overall winner is Christopher Beirne, from the University of Exeter and Crees Foundation, with his image of an ocelot taking advantage of human-made nature trails at night to stalk its prey in Peru.
Overall Winner: On the trail by Christopher Beirne, Crees Foundation and University of Exeter. A male ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) uses a human-made trail at the Manu Learning Centre, Peru. Although we often think of trails through tropical rainforests as having negative impacts on local wildlife, several cats species (including the ocelot and its larger cousins pumas and jaguars) often use these trails to rapidly move around their home ranges.Christopher Beirne
"The photograph was taken in an area of land that had been completely cleared for agriculture 30-50 years ago. Documenting the wildlife that has returned as the forest has recovered was not only a real privilege, it has also changed my perspective on the value of degraded land in tropical areas", Beirne said.
Dr Hazel Norman, Executive Director at the British Ecological Society, said: "Our judges had a difficult task to choose from many impressive entries this year. Some of the images demonstrated interactions between different species in their natural environment, which can be complex and difficult to capture."
Overall Runner-up: Toco toucan looking back by Mark Tatchell, Retired. This Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco) appears to be looking back and engaged with the photographer. This is emphasised by the dramatic bill colour and shape contrasting with those of its head and made more mysterious by the shallow depth of field with focus on the eye in this close up image.Mark Tatchell/British Ecological SocietyDynamic Ecosystems Winner: Salmon Run by Zoe Davies, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), University of Kent. A brown bear (Ursus arctos) catching sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, in Alaska, USA. The annual salmon run is highly dynamic in terms of the behaviour and population biology of both the bears and fish, as well as the level of interaction between the two species.Zoe Davies/British Ecological SocietyIndividuals and Populations Winner: Crossing the line by Nilanjan Chatterjee, Wildlife Institute of India . Tigers are known as fierce predator but on other side they are caring parents also. Female tigers stay with the cubs for almost two years to ensure their survival. Here, an inquisitive cub is coming out of its mother’s protection to explore the world outside.Nilanjan Chatterjee/British Ecological SocietyUp close and Personal Winner: White silk by Roberto García Roa, Ethology lab, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia. Reptiles change the skin several times across the year. It is a delicate process that often can jeopardise the life of the animal. It is for this reason that seeing animals shedding skin in the wild is not usual. Here, a male Anolis lizard in broad daylight in Costa Rica.Roberto García RoaEcology in Action Winner: Meerkat Morning Weights by Dominic Cram, University of Cambridge. At the Kalahari Meerkat Project, wild meerkats are habituated to the presence of human observers, and are trained to climb onto electronic balances. Close observation of meerkats, and regular collection of weight data, allow researchers from the University of Cambridge to investigate behaviour and growth in a natural ecological context.Dominic Cram/British Ecological SocietyEcology and Society Winner: Home Sweet Home by Leejiah Dorward, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford . A camera trap captures a nycterid bat, Nycteris thebaica, leaving its unusual day roost – the inside of a latrine cesspit. These artificial caves are free of predators, and a constant supply of decomposing biomass keeps them at a constant warm temperature while also sustaining high populations of invertebrate food, the perfect home.Leejiah Dorward/British Ecological SocietyThe Art of Ecology Winner: Divided by Jesamine Bartlett, University of Birmingham, British Antarctic Survey . Lake Tjörnarp Sweden. A deep winter warming event sends a crack across the ice. The crack divides the lake surface horizontally and vertically as the ice provides barrier to the air. Then the frame is divided further still by the bank of reeds, then birch, and the band of sky.Jesamine Bartlett/British Ecological SocietyOverall Student Winner: I See You by Leejiah Dorward, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford. A flap-necked chameleon (Chamaeleo dilepis) climbs a flowering plant stem in search for a safe spot to roost for the night in Southern Tanzania.Leejiah Dorward/British Ecological SocietyDynamic Ecosystems Student Prize: Venomous Vine by Leejiah Dorward, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford. A Savanna vine snake, Thelotornis capensis, holds a firm grip on a struggling Speckle-fronted weaver, Sporopipes frontalis, in Southern Tanzania. Vine snakes' incredible camouflage makes them perfect ambush predators; once their prey gets within striking distance their strong haemotoxic venom can quickly subdue quarry such as this weaver.Leejiah DorwardIndividuals and Populations Student Prize: Shivering Sylph by Leejiah Dorward, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford. A male long-tailed sylph (Aglaiocercus kingie) shakes off drops of rain after a heavy tropical shower in Rio Blanco, Colombia.Leejiah Dorward/British Ecological SocietyUp close and Personal Student Prize: Canopy Bubble by Karen O’Neill, KerryLIFE, Walsh Fellow (Teagasc), University of Dundee. An aspect of my research looks at the potential influence of forestry plantations on catchment water quality. I was inspired to capture this image as the reflection of the canopy in the water reminded me that the manner in which humans use land is often “reflected” in the quality of our water.Karen O’NeillEcology in Action Student Prize: A Sedated Giant by Nick Harvey, University of Manchester, Chester Zoo . This huge white rhino bull, Ceratotherium simum, had to be translocated from a small reserve in KwaZulu-Natal to prevent inbreeding. He was darted from the helicopter and the capture team ran over to blindfold him, insert a tracker into his horn and push him, by hand, into a travel crate. Nick Harvey/British Ecological SocietyEcology and Society Student Prize: Female Leatherback turtle gets into trouble by Adam Rees, Plymouth University . A pregnant female Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) returns to the ocean after being saved by local NGOs and scientists from becoming stranded inland. Overnight she mistook the city lights of Libreville, Gabon, for the starry night sky. Adult females rely on astronomical navigation when returning to their natal beaches to lay eggs.Adam Rees/British Ecological SocietyThe Art of Ecology Student Prize: The jar effect by Sanne Govaert, Ghent University . During an excursion in my third year studying biology, a butterfly (Anthocharis cardamines) was caught and put into a plastic jar. This way the butterfly could be easily identified and shown to the interested students. The jar was scratched, giving an artistic flare to the picture.Sanne Govaert/British Ecological Society
The winning images will be exhibited at 'Ecology across Borders', the Society's joint annual meeting in Ghent, Belgium, in December, which will bring together 1,500 ecologists from around 60 countries to discuss the latest advances in ecological research across the whole discipline.
