Every year, scientists who take pictures of science and nature in action while they work compete in the BMC Ecology and Evolution and BMC Zoology image competition.
“Large schools of speedy bluefin and smaller tropical tuna herd the snipefish into tight groups at the surface, resulting in a feeding frenzy for the slow-moving whale sharks,” said Jorge Fontes of the University of the Azores in Portugal.
The winner in the Research in Action category was a picture of a scientist gently dosing a few drops of medication on a Kiwikiu.
For this vulnerable species, a single bite from a mosquito carrying avian malaria can be fatal.
On the highest slopes of the Haleakala volcano, birds used to seek sanctuary from the insects, but due to climate change, mosquitoes have expanded to these once-safe locations.
Plans to protect the species are now being developed by researchers.
The category’s runner-up features a scientist gathering a sediment core in the Florida Everglades’ wetlands as part of a study looking into ways to lessen the region’s phosphorus pollution.
