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Ecology and evolution

The Royal Society journals Proceedings B, Biology Letters, Philosophical Transactions B and Royal Society Open Science publish research articles, Reviews, Biological Science Practices, and theme issues in all areas of ecology and evolution.

Call for papers

The other 1%: Showcasing science and scientists from the Global South and indigenous communities
Calling all authors from the Global South and indigenous communities to submit your proposal for a new Proceedings B Special Feature. Find out more.

Seminars

Our ecology and evolution seminar series features research published in Royal Society journals. Each talk is associated with a recent paper or theme issue, selected by the journal's editors as being particularly innovative or having had significant recent impact. Subscribe to the series for updates.

Latest research

Looking for exciting work in ecology and evolution? Discover top research published by us in recent years.

Philosophical Transactions B Volume 379 Issue 1907

Philosophical Transactions B theme issues

Article collections

Take a look at the special collections featured below or browse all ecology and evolution articles published across the Royal Society journals.

Meet us at the following conferences in 2024

  • Evolution - joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology ASN/SSB/SSE/ESEB, Montréal, Canada, 26-30 July 2024
  • International Symposium on Microbial Ecology (ISME), Cape Town, South Africa, 18-23 August 2024
  • British Ecological Society Annual Meeting, Liverpool, UK, 10-13 December 2024

Are you a researcher based in London? Find us at the London Centre for Ecology and Evolution’s annual events and look out for our annual workshop.

Full conference list

Buchi Okereafor

Dr Alex Shupinski on using functional diversity to describe how the structure of North American mammal palaeocommunities changed across the Cenozoic
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Anne Grundlehner and Jeroen Hoekendijk on social distancing patterns in seal colonies
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Dr Amanda Pettersen on the evolutionary significance of variation in metabolic rates
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Royal Society journal articles are frequently mentioned in media outlets around the world. Explore ecology and evolution articles that made the news.

  • American crocodiles can have 'virgin births'—here’s what that means via National Geographic 
  • Reforestation means more than just planting trees via Science Magazine
  • Snakes show signs of self-recognition in a smell-based 'mirror test' via New Scientist
  • Bumblebee species able to survive underwater for up to a week via Guardian

The Royal Society has been publishing scientific articles for over 350 years. The Royal Society Journals Archive provides a fascinating insight into the development of science and covers some of the key moments in scientific history.

Take a look at Darwin's 1839 article Observations on the parallel roads of Glen Roy, and other parts of Lochaber in Scotland, with an attempt to prove that they are of marine origin, published in Philosophical Transactions.

Proceedings B is the Royal Society’s flagship biological research journal, accepting original articles and reviews of outstanding scientific importance and broad general interest. The main criteria for acceptance are that a study is novel and has general significance to biologists. Articles published cover the breadth of the biological sciences; many but not all articles have direct relevance to organisms and the environments in which they live. 

Biology Letters is an online Royal Society journal that publishes short, high-quality, peer-reviewed articles, reviews and opinion pieces from across the biological sciences. The scope is vast - publishing high-quality research in any area of the biological sciences. However, we have particular strengths in the biology, evolution and ecology of whole organisms. 

Philosophical Transactions B publishes high quality theme issues on topics of current importance and general interest within the life sciences, guest-edited by leading authorities and comprising new research, reviews and opinions from prominent researchers. Each issue aims to create an original and authoritative synthesis, often bridging traditional disciplines, which showcases current developments and provides a foundation for future research, applications and policy decisions. 

Royal Society Open Science is an open access journal publishing high-quality original research on the basis of objective peer-review. The journal covers the entire range of science and mathematics and allows the Society to publish all the high-quality work it receives without the usual restrictions on scope, length or impact. It welcomes the submission of all high-quality science including articles which may usually be difficult to publish elsewhere, for example, replications or those that include negative findings.

Dr. Zegni Triki

Dr. Zegni Triki

Institute of Ecology & Evolution, Bern University

I have always had a deep respect and admiration for the Proceedings B journal and the outstanding work it publishes. I am honoured to be offered the opportunity to join the journal as a member of the Editorial Board team. Serving as an associate editor will be a rewarding experience on various levels.
Ana Valenzuela

Ana Valenzuela Toro

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz

I am happy that my research was valued and made more visible, so more researchers will recognize the power of archival specimens for advancing pressing questions in ecology. I don’t conceive of research or science as a competition; however, it is fantastic to receive recognition from peers. I encourage all early career researchers publishing in Biology Letters to enter this competition.
Dr Michael Bertram

Dr Michael Bertram

Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

I was eager to join the Editorial Board of Proceedings B because, even as far back as my undergraduate days, it has always been a journal for which I have a lot of respect. I found many of my favourite papers while reading through the pages of Proceedings B and so I look forward to giving something back to the journal.