COMMUNITY ECOLOGY

Scope & Guideline

Fostering Insights into Species Interactions and Community Structures

Introduction

Welcome to the COMMUNITY ECOLOGY information hub, where our guidelines provide a wealth of knowledge about the journal’s focus and academic contributions. This page includes an extensive look at the aims and scope of COMMUNITY ECOLOGY, highlighting trending and emerging areas of study. We also examine declining topics to offer insight into academic interest shifts. Our curated list of highly cited topics and recent publications is part of our effort to guide scholars, using these guidelines to stay ahead in their research endeavors.
LanguageEnglish
ISSN1585-8553
PublisherSPRINGER HEIDELBERG
Support Open AccessNo
CountryHungary
TypeJournal
Convergefrom 2000 to 2024
AbbreviationCOMMUNITY ECOL / Community Ecol.
Frequency2 issues/year
Time To First Decision-
Time To Acceptance-
Acceptance Rate-
Home Page-
AddressTIERGARTENSTRASSE 17, D-69121 HEIDELBERG, GERMANY

Aims and Scopes

The journal 'Community Ecology' focuses on the intricate relationships between organisms and their environments, emphasizing the community-level interactions that shape ecological dynamics. It aims to advance the understanding of community structure, function, and the mechanisms driving biodiversity across various ecosystems.
  1. Community Structure and Dynamics:
    Research on how species interactions, such as predation, competition, and mutualism, influence community composition and stability.
  2. Biodiversity Assessment and Conservation:
    Studies that evaluate biodiversity patterns and the effectiveness of conservation strategies in different habitats, particularly in response to human impacts.
  3. Functional Ecology:
    Exploration of functional traits and their implications for ecosystem processes and services, focusing on how species traits influence community dynamics.
  4. Spatial and Temporal Patterns:
    Analysis of how ecological communities change over time and space, incorporating landscape ecology and biogeography to understand distribution patterns.
  5. Impact of Environmental Changes:
    Investigating the effects of climate change, land use, and invasive species on community composition and ecosystem resilience.
Recent publications in 'Community Ecology' indicate several emerging themes that are gaining traction within the field. These trends reflect the evolving landscape of ecological research and the increasing integration of interdisciplinary approaches.
  1. Microbial Community Dynamics:
    An increasing focus on microbial communities highlights their essential roles in ecosystem functioning, nutrient cycling, and responses to environmental changes.
  2. Urban Ecology and Human Impacts:
    Research addressing the effects of urbanization on ecological communities is on the rise, reflecting a growing interest in understanding how human activities influence biodiversity and ecosystem services.
  3. Functional Traits and Ecosystem Services:
    There is a notable trend towards studying functional traits in relation to ecosystem services, emphasizing how species contribute to ecological functions and overall community resilience.
  4. Citizen Science and Data Integration:
    The use of citizen science and large-scale data integration for biodiversity monitoring and community assessment is emerging as a valuable approach, facilitating broader engagement and data collection.
  5. Climate Change and Community Resilience:
    Research examining the impacts of climate change on community dynamics and the resilience of ecosystems is gaining prominence, highlighting the urgent need to understand adaptive capacities in a changing world.

Declining or Waning

While 'Community Ecology' has a broad focus, some themes have shown a decline in publication frequency or interest over recent years. This may reflect shifting research priorities or the maturation of certain subfields within community ecology.
  1. Traditional Taxonomic Studies:
    There appears to be a waning interest in purely taxonomic studies that do not integrate ecological or functional perspectives, as the field increasingly values functional diversity and ecological interactions.
  2. Focus on Single Species Studies:
    Research centered solely on single species, without considering community-level interactions, is becoming less frequent, as the journal emphasizes multi-species interactions and community-level dynamics.
  3. Static Biodiversity Metrics:
    There is a declining trend in the publication of studies that rely solely on static measures of biodiversity (e.g., species richness) without exploring dynamic processes or ecological functions.

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