Following our #DiversityInEcology theme, Ben Whittaker discusses mental health from the perspective of the umwelt. Cognitive philosophers use the term umwelt to describe the epicentre of being. Your umwelt is your own personal environment, a foundation on which to build your self-centred world view. As you encounter new experiences your umwelt evolves with you, changing not only the way your mind interacts with the world … Continue reading The Umwelt Approach
Biologging is a powerful tool and often utilised to study animal movement patterns. But how can researchers be sure that the tag itself does not negatively impact the study animal? A recent meta-analysis published in the Journal of Animal Ecology investigated the effects of geolocators on small birds. Lead author Vojtěch Brlík explains the #StoryBehindThePaper and the study results. When I was discussing suitable topics for my bachelor’s … Continue reading Weak effects of geolocators on small birds
Parasite transmission is dependent upon host diet and habitat use. A recent paper in the Journal of Animal Ecology examined over 350 species of lizard in search of a link between parasite diversity and lizard ecology. Here to tell us more is lead author Dr Tommy Leung, a Lecturer in Parasitology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of New England, Australia. All animals are infected with … Continue reading Hungry lizards catch the worms
Parasite-host relationships can be amazingly complex. Parasites can even alter host diets. But how exactly does this work? Dr Charlotte Narr, a Research Scientist at Colorado State University’s Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, recently published an article on just this topic in the Journal of Animal Ecology. When you’re sick, your relationship with food changes. You might lose your appetite or have trouble digesting certain foods. Pregnancy … Continue reading Parasitism and Host Diet Quality in Natural Populations
Understanding the trade-offs between survival and reproduction is essential for the study of population dynamics. A recent paper in the Journal of Animal Ecology used a novel statistical framework to reveal previously unknown life-cycle trends for two sympatric bat species. Lead author Dr Antica Culina from the University of Oxford and Netherlands Institute of Ecology, explains the research. Survival and reproduction both require energy, which is generally … Continue reading Live fast, don’t die young
A recent paper published in the Journal of Animal Ecology has found that a chronic shortage of females in a critically endangered parrot species has led to love triangles, sneaky sex on the side, increased fighting between males, and fewer babies. Here to tell us more are three of the authors: Rob Heinsohn, George Olah, and Dejan Stojanovic. Most birds are at least socially monogamous, … Continue reading A high cost of infidelity for swift parrots
Competition for limited food resources can be particularly fierce where similarly-related species overlap. Harriet L. Clewlow is a PhD student based at the British Antarctic Survey and linked with University of Exeter and WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature). Her research investigates how climate change is altering interactions between sympatric Antarctic penguin species and predicting their responses to future climate scenarios. Competition is a widely studied … Continue reading Penguin niche-partitioning resilient to climate change
Populations are not stable. But despite decades of study, the drivers of population variability are yet to be fully understood. A new study in the Journal of Animal Ecology suggests that somatic growth variation can be as important as early life‐history survival in driving population fluctuations in some marine fish species. Quantitative ecologist Dr Christine Stawitz led the study as part of her dissertation research with … Continue reading Explaining population variability in marine fishes
Following our #DiversityInEcology theme, Conor Ryan discusses his experiences of judging whether to be ‘out’ to colleagues and crew members during boat-based fieldwork. A congenital ecologist, Conor’s career began in the late 1980s, where he developed a keen interest in intertidal ecology, undertaking almost daily field trips to the seashore across from his home in Cobh, Ireland. Though he logged significant hours searching beneath barnacle-studded rocks … Continue reading Should I tell my colleagues I am gay?
Skinks come in a variety of colours and patterns. But why and how are these colour polymorphisms maintained? Genevieve Matthews, a PhD student at Monash University, has been studying skinks for four years. Her research examines the maintenance of genetic variation in the form of colour pattern polymorphism in the delicate skink, and the costs associated with sexual conflict. Here, Genevieve summarises her recent publication … Continue reading A Colourful Distribution
A blog from the Journal of Animal Ecology
Tracking retractions as a window into the scientific process
Understanding life history and demography across the tree of life
Conservation research ... with bite
A blog from the Journal of Animal Ecology
Animal Ecology in Focus 