The award-winning images that reveal nature's best

The winners of the seventh BMC Ecology photography competition have produced an eclectic array of images that showcase the beauty and diversity of life on our planet, as well as its intricate relationships and risks. The overall winning image depicts a magnificent frigatebird ( Fregata magnificens ) chick, a large seabird is found near the tropical and subtropical waters off America, as well as the Cape Verde and Galápagos islands. The chick represented in the winning image is suffering from a viral infection from which it is unlikely to recover. The winning photographer was French museum worker David Costantini who said of the picture: "I took [it] in French Guiana where viral outbreaks annually affect a population of frigatebirds. An ongoing research project is trying to figure out the causes and consequences of this disease, and to find solutions for the conservation of the local frigatebird population." The winning images, and the additional seven highly commended images in the gallery below, highlight pressing issues in ecology - from the challenges many species face in today's environments, to mutually beneficial or parasitic relationships between species, curious phenomena found in nature and the potential of sustainable technologies.

The award-winning images that reveal nature's best

The seventh BMC Ecology photography competition has produced a medley of fascinating shots