The natural world is full of beautiful moments and interactions, but we don't always have the full context for what we see.
While many photographers capture beautiful images of animals out in the wild, few know exactly what's happening in the scene as well as a researcher does — unless that photographer happens to also be a scientist.
The BMC Ecology Image Competition is a contest designed to show both the beauty of what's happening in nature as well as highlight the researchers that help us understand it.
The journal just announced their 2014 winners and 22 additional "commended" images.
First, the commended photos: These Eastern Swallowtails frequently gather along riversides in the Eastern U.S. to feed on mineral deposits, according to photographer J.P. Lawrence.
Justin Havird photographed researchers Stephanie Irvin and Kiley Seitz gathering samples at this landlocked pond. It's named Skippy’s Pond and is a unique coastal habitat found at the ‘Ahihi-Kina’u Natural Area Reserve on South Maui in Hawaii.
In the Ethiopian Highlands, these gelada monkeys scurry to safety as the light changes and predators come out, according to photographer Ryan J. Burke.
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