Author: Sarah Marley

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Persistence (and a bit of luck) pays off: Costs of reproduction in mountain ungulates

Fitness costs of reproduction are expected when resources are limited. This can drive the evolution of life‐history strategies and can affect population dynamics, particularly if females change their allocation of resources to reproduction. Dr Marco Festa-Bianchet (Université de Sherbrooke) explains the value of long-term studies for understanding such trade-offs and gives the #StoryBehindThePaper for his recent synthesis article in the Journal of Animal Ecology. Long-term studies … Continue reading Persistence (and a bit of luck) pays off: Costs of reproduction in mountain ungulates

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Birds in paradise: biogeography in the subtropics

Biogeography is often more complicated than the species-area relationship as discussed in a Journal of Animal Ecology paper testing multiple extensions of island biogeography theory. Sam Ross, lead author of the study, is a PhD student at Trinity College Dublin studying ecological responses to global change. Sam has additional interests in community ecology and macroecology, and works closely with colleagues at the Okinawa Institute of … Continue reading Birds in paradise: biogeography in the subtropics

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Determinants of micro- and macroparasite diversity in birds: the fruits of comparing apples and oranges

Identifying the factors shaping variation in parasite diversity among host species is crucial to understand wildlife diseases. A recent paper in Journal of Animal Ecology investigated the role of host life history and ecology in explaining the species richness of micro- and macro-parasites in birds world-wide. Lead author Dr Jorge Sanchez Gutierrez explains more about the study. The phrase “comparing apples and oranges” is often … Continue reading Determinants of micro- and macroparasite diversity in birds: the fruits of comparing apples and oranges

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The invisible interplay between herbivorous insects and their monitoring ants on a chemically diverse plant

Plants exhibit impressive genetic and chemical diversity, and this variation is important for structuring ecological communities. A recent paper in the Journal of Animal Ecology investigated this with regard to aphids and their host-plant tansy. Lead author Dr Sharon Zytynska from the Technical University of Munich tells us more about this study. The perennial tansy plant (Tanacetum vulgare) grows steadily throughout the spring, producing heads … Continue reading The invisible interplay between herbivorous insects and their monitoring ants on a chemically diverse plant

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Manipulation of gut microbiota during critical developmental windows affect host physiological performance and disease susceptibility across ontogeny

Colonisation of gut microbiomes during early life can shape metabolism and immunity of adult animals. However, most data are derived from antibiotic‐treated or germ‐free laboratory mammals. Furthermore, few studies have explored how microbial colonization during critical windows influences a suite of other fitness‐related traits in wild animals. A recent study in the Journal of Animal Ecologytested whether hatching constitutes a critical development window for microbiome … Continue reading Manipulation of gut microbiota during critical developmental windows affect host physiological performance and disease susceptibility across ontogeny

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Which GLM?

Many papers refer to the use of GLMs in their analyses – but are you sure you know to which statistical approach they refer? Professor Daniel Blumstein and Associate Professor Noa Pinter-Wollman (University of California, Los Angeles) are here to clear up any confusion, and suggest a path going forwards… Statistics have evolved rapidly and the proliferation of acronyms sometimes creates novel problems, particularly for … Continue reading Which GLM?

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Do spatial sampling scales influence the understanding of ant-plant interaction network architecture?

Despite great interest in metrics to quantify the structure of ecological networks, the effects of sampling and scale remain poorly understood. However, a recent paper published in Journal of Animal Ecology seeks to change this! Lead author Dr Wesley Dáttilo (Instituto de Ecologia, Mexico) explains how studying ant-plant interaction networks helped develop a better understanding of spatial sampling scales. We know that no single species … Continue reading Do spatial sampling scales influence the understanding of ant-plant interaction network architecture?

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Disentangling disease transmission in Madagascar fruit bats

Bats can carry various diseases, including many which are transferable to humans. A recent study published in the Journal of Animal Ecology investigated disease extent, seasonality, and mechanisms of transmission among Malagasy fruit bats. Lead author Dr Cara Brook (Princeton University and UC Berkeley) explains more about the paper. Bats (order Chiroptera) have received much attention in recent years for their roles as reservoirs for … Continue reading Disentangling disease transmission in Madagascar fruit bats

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Lovers and fighters, and how their coexistence affects their evolution within an eco-evolutionary feedback loop

Eco-evolutionary dynamics are well studied but the term is applied to a wide variety of effects and interactions. Yet comparing these different types of studies on eco-evolutionary dynamics will inform on how this field can move forward, which is precisely the aim of a recent British Ecological Society cross-journal Special Feature. Here,  Isabel Smallegange (an Associate Professor of Population Biology at the University of Amsterdam) … Continue reading Lovers and fighters, and how their coexistence affects their evolution within an eco-evolutionary feedback loop

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Urbanization alters predator‐avoidance behaviours

Urbanisation is changing the natural landscape at a global scale. This obviously alters habitat structures, but what is the influence on predator-prey dynamics? A recent paper in the Journal of Animal Ecology studied two urban prey species to examine whether urbanisation changed their predator-avoidance behaviour. Lead author Dr Travis Gallo, an Urban Wildlife Postdoctoral Researcher at the Urban Wildlife Institute, Lincoln Park Zoo, tells us … Continue reading Urbanization alters predator‐avoidance behaviours

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