功能生態學發表高影響力的論文，使從有機體到生態系統規模的生態模式和過程的機械理解成為可能。由于這一挑戰的多面性，論文可以基于廣泛的方法。因此，當研究的目標是了解生態系統和更大規模的生態現象時，手稿可能會從生理學、遺傳學、生活史和有機體研究的行為角度，到群落和生物地球化學研究的角度有所不同。我們相信我們期刊的多樣性是一種優勢，而不是劣勢，我們對我們發表的各種數據、研究方法和研究類型持開放的態度。某些關鍵領域將繼續得到強調:將基因組學與生態學結合起來的研究，研究生理學的關鍵方面(例如，壓力)如何影響動物和植物的生態，反之亦然，以及進化如何形成功能和生態特性之間的相互作用。生態學越來越認識到，生物體的特征和活動對于理解群落動態和生態系統過程至關重要，特別是在應對地球環境發生的快速全球變化時，而功能生態學的目標就是發表這樣的綜合性論文。

Functional Ecology publishes high-impact papers that enable a mechanistic understanding of ecological pattern and process from the organismic to the ecosystem scale. Because of the multifaceted nature of this challenge, papers can be based on a wide range of approaches. Thus, manuscripts may vary from physiological, genetics, life-history, and behavioural perspectives for organismal studies to community and biogeochemical studies when the goal is to understand ecosystem and larger scale ecological phenomena. We believe that the diverse nature of our journal is a strength, not a weakness, and we are open-minded about the variety of data, research approaches and types of studies that we publish. Certain key areas will continue to be emphasized: studies that integrate genomics with ecology, studies that examine how key aspects of physiology (e.g., stress) impact the ecology of animals and plants, or vice versa, and how evolution shapes interactions among function and ecological traits. Ecology has increasingly moved towards the realization that organismal traits and activities are vital for understanding community dynamics and ecosystem processes, particularly in response to the rapid global changes occurring in earth’s environment, and Functional Ecology aims to publish such integrative papers.