All these photographs show the beauty and diversity of life on our planet, as well as offering an idea of the biological interactions found in nature.
Ecologist Aldo Leopold, best known for his book A Sand County Almanac , lamented the loss of nature and humanity’s growing disconnect from the natural world. Inspired by his work to provoke curiosity and admiration for nature , the contest shares art through the lens of scientists.
“While these showcase the undoubted talents of a diverse demographic of photographers, here at BMC Ecology we wanted to find out if the natural world could be seen differently from the perspective of professional ecologists like Leopold, with a specific emphasis on the central idea behind the study of ecology as a science: how organisms interact with each other and with their environment ”, according to BMC.
In 2020, the winning image was “Sick”, “Sick” by David Costantini from the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
It’s not just humans who have to cope with viral outbreaks, animals also suffer from the spread of insidious diseases. Here, a sick royal frigate bird (Fregata magnificens ) chick in French Guiana is suffering from a viral infection that will likely lead to its death. A research project is currently underway to investigate the cause of the virus and discover conservation solutions for the local frigate bird population, which is one of the most important in South America.
