As the advantages of wind energy as an eco-friendly strategy for power generation continue to be revealed, the number of offshore wind farms also increases worldwide. However, wind turbines can induce behavioral and physiological responses in animals by emitting various types of noises. In this study, we investigated the behavioral, physiological, and immunological responses of male Japanese tree frogs (Dryophytes japonicus) when exposed to wind turbine noise. To determine the effects during the breeding season, frogs were collected from areas with and without wind turbines. Additionally, we exposed the frogs to recorded wind turbine noise at a site without a wind generator for 1 h to 24 h to analyze the short-term effects. Three types of calling patterns (dominant frequency, note duration, and call rate) were analyzed to investigate behavioral responses. Physiological responses were assessed using two steroid hormones assays, namely testosterone and corticosterone detection in the saliva. The immunity of each individual was assessed using a bacterial killing assay. The wind turbine group in the field had a higher call rate and corticosterone levels and lower immunity than the group in the field without turbines present, and all three of these variables were correlated with each other. Conversely, in the noise exposure experiment, a higher call rate was only observed post-exposure compared to pre-exposure. Thus, turbine noise seems to induce decreased immunity in Japanese tree frogs as an increase in energy investment that triggers a behavioral response rather than acting as a sole physiological response that leads to a direct increase in corticosterone. This decreased immunity due to energy tradeoff or physiological response can change the disease epidemiology of the population and create new adaptive patterns in these habitats.

Anthropogenic connectivity regulation in rivers, such as via weirs and dams, affects the plankton community. We hypothesized that the longitudinal similarity of the zooplankton community in a river could change in a river–reservoir hybrid system (RRHS). The impact of weir construction on zooplankton communities in terms of species diversity, abundance, and community structure was examined biweekly at six sites on the Nakdong River for 14 years (before construction: 2002–2008; after construction: 2012–2018). We checked time-series alignment using a dynamic time-warping method between longitudinal survey sites. After RRHS, the zooplankton community showed an increasing number of species. However, RRHS decreased the longitudinal similarity in terms of number of zooplankton species and population density. Our results demonstrate the negative effect of lateral infrastructures on zooplankton populations due to river fragmentation and habitat alteration.

Many freshwater ecosystems are becoming more saline, and amphibians, which have permeable skin, are sensitive to this change. We studied the physiological responses to high salinity and recovery from saline exposure in adult frogs (Pelophylax nigromaculatus). Frogs that experienced severe salinity were exposed to saline conditions for 6 days, while those in the moderate group were exposed to saline conditions for 40 days, followed by a recovery period in freshwater for 20 days. Our data showed that during exposure to saline conditions of severe and moderate groups, serum electrolytes increased, protein concentrations decreased, and creatinine, an indicator of renal function, sharply increased. However, renal tissue sampled after exposure did not show renal dysfunction. In addition, serum components that changed during exposure to salinity returned to their initial values during the recovery period. Thus, adult anurans can be resilient, to some extent, to saline conditions in habitats that experience either rapid or slow salinity changes.

We reviewed the texts from 22,179 publications in journals published in the last 100 yr by the Ecological Society of America. We quantified the relative use of terms and identified temporal trends and research collaborations using text‐mining methods. Terms concerning ecological topics at the population level such as structure, function, and competition and terms relating to the influences of environmental factors were frequently used throughout this century. Relative use of higher hierarchical levels (i.e., ecosystem, landscape) has rapidly increased, but the use of population and community was stable. Research collaboration networks revealed geographically concentrated clusters at the organizational level. To understand global‐scale ecosystem processes and responses, multinational collaboration in ecological fields should increase. Our review further demonstrates the importance of conserving historical ecological texts as they reflect the attitude of the ecological community toward academic concepts over time.

Analysis of physiological responses can be used to assess population health, identify threat factors, and understand mechanisms of stress. In addition to this, conservation physiologists have sought to establish potential management strategies for environmental change and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation efforts. From past to present, the field of conservation physiology is developing in an increasingly broader context. In this review, we aim to categorize the topics covered in conservation physiology research on amphibians and present the measured physiological parameters to provide directions for future research on conservation physiology. Physiological responses of amphibians to environmental stressors are the most studied topic, but conservation physiological studies on metamorphosis, habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change, and conservation methods are relatively lacking. A number of physiological indices have been extracted to study amphibian conservation physiology, and the indices have varying strengths of correlation with each subject. Future research directions are suggested to develop a comprehensive monitoring method for amphibians, identify interactions among various stressors, establish physiological mechanisms for environmental factors, and quantify the effects of conservation activities on amphibian physiology.