The British Ecological Society has announced the winners of its annual photography competition, Capturing Ecology. Taken by international ecologists and students, the winning images will be exhibited at the society’s joint annual meeting in Ghent in December.
The photographers had to demonstrate interactions between different species in their natural environments with several different categories, each with an overall winner and a student winner.
Here are some of our favorites.
Overall winner: Christopher Beirne, University of Exeter and Crees Foundation, On the trail, ocelot during the night in Peru
Overall runner-up: Mark Tatchell, Toco toucan looking back
Overall student winner: Leejiah Dorward, University of Oxford, I see you, flap-necked chameleon in Tanzania
Category 1 – Up close and personal
An image displaying the intricacy of nature using close-up or macro photography.
Winner: Roberto García Roa, University of Valencia, White silk, Anolis lizard changing skin
Student winner: Karen O’Neill, KerryLIFE and University of Dundee, Canopy bubble, showing the reflection of trees in water
Category 2 – Dynamic ecosystems
Demonstrating interactions between different species within an ecosystem.
Winner: Zoe Davies, University of Kent, Salmon run, a brown bear catching sockeye salmon in Alaska
Student winner: Leejiah Dorward, University of Oxford, Venomous vine, a savanna vine snake struggles with a speckle fronted weaver in Tanzania
Category 3 – Individuals and populations
A unique look at a species in its environment, either alone or as part of a population.
Winner: Nilanjan Chatterjee, Wildlife Institute of India, Crossing the line, a tiger with her cub
Student winner: Leejiah Dorward, University of Oxford, Shivering sylph, a long-tailed sylph shakes of raindrops after a tropical shower in Colombia
Category 4 – Ecology and society
A look at how people and society engage with wildlife and their environment.
Winner: Leejiah Dorward, University of Oxford, Home sweet home, a nycterid bat triggers a camera trap
Student winner: Adam Rees, Plymouth University, Female leatherback turtle gets into trouble
Category 5 – Ecology in action
Showcasing the practice of ecology in action.
Winner: Dominic Cram, University of Cambridge, Meerkat morning weights
Student winner: Nick Harvey, University of Manchester and Chester Zoo, A sedated giant, white rhino in South Africa
Category 6 – The art of ecology
A creative and original take on photography denoting ecology.
Winner: Jesamine Bartlett, University of Birmingham and British Antarctic Survey, Divided, a crack in a Swedish lake stretches the entire width of the lake, dividing the white ice with a deep black scar
Student winner: Sanne Govaert, Ghent University, The jar effect, a butterfly in a used transparent container