Incredible Photos from The BMC Ecology and Evolution Image Competition 2022

In 2022, researchers from around the world entered the BMC Ecology and Evolution photography competition. The contest produced a spectacular collection of photographs that capture the wonder of the natural world and the growing need to protect it as the human impact on the planet intensifies. This editorial celebrates the winning images selected by the Editor of BMC Ecology and Evolution and senior members of the journal’s editorial board.

The story of a conquest. The fruiting body of a parasitic fungus erupts from the body of its victim. Attribution: Roberto García-Roa

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Gone with the berry. Flying under the influence—a waxwing feasts on fermented rowan berries. Attribution: Alwin Hardenbol

Trachops & Tungara. A bat locates its dinner via tuning into a frog’s broadcast to attract a mate. Attribution: Alexander T. Baugh

The Baobab tree. The relationship between a group of African elephants and a Baobab tree strains as droughts strike. Attribution: Samantha Kreling

Wood frog under a freeze. A false spring—climate change threatens wood frog offspring. Attribution: Lindsey Swierk

In ovo. Gliding treefrog siblings at an early stage of their development. Attribution: Brandon André Güell

Bubble breathing in Water Anoles. An anole lizard dives using a clever trick to breathe underwater. Attribution: Lindsey Swierk

Fieldwork with masks, rain, and tadpoles. Researchers investigate the effect of isolated trees and land use on tadpole-mediated nutrient recycling during the COVD-19 pandemic. Attribution: Jeferson Ribeiro Amaral

Focus amidst the chaos. PhD student, Brandon A. Güell, amidst thousands of reproducing gliding treefrogs

Bioluminescent fungi glow in the Bornean rainforest. Attribution: Julian Schrader

This specimen shows a seabird’s stomach is full of plastic waste. Attribution: Marine Cusa

Researchers monitor the eggs of the Bermuda petrel. Attribution: Letizia Campioni