The Hidden Architecture of Ecological Networks Under Biodiversity Loss

This blog post is provided by M. Florencia Miguel and colleagues and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the article, “Species loss alters the mesoscale structure of mutualistic networks”, which was recently published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. In their study, M. Florencia Miguel and colleagues shed new light on the patterns of species loss, exploring how these losses can shape network structure at the mesoscale. Biodiversity … Continue reading The Hidden Architecture of Ecological Networks Under Biodiversity Loss

When fish lose their crowd: how ocean acidification quietly dismantles the social lives of reef fish

This blog post is provided by Angus Mitchell and colleagues and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the article, “Ocean acidification, more than warming or heatwaves, constrains shoaling behaviour in a range-extending fish through habitat simplification”, which was recently published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. In their study, Mitchell and colleagues reveal the hidden impact that climate change can have on the social lives and shoaling behaviour … Continue reading When fish lose their crowd: how ocean acidification quietly dismantles the social lives of reef fish

Plasticity in Parental Care

This blog post is provided by Casey Patmore and Per T Smiseth and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the article “Plasticity in parental care: Interspecific competitor cues shape biparental cooperation in a burying beetle”, which was recently published in Journal of Animal Ecology. This study examined how burying beetle parental care and breeding success was affected by interspecific competition. We investigated how perceived risk of interspecific … Continue reading Plasticity in Parental Care

The art of doing as little as possible: What howler monkeys can teach us about energy and time

This blog post is provided by Pedro A. D. Dias and Ariadna Rangel-Negrín from the Primate Behavioral Ecology Lab, Universidad Veracruzana, México, and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the article “Does energy minimisation constrain behavioural plasticity? Long-term activity budgets of a model folivore–frugivore“, which was recently published in Journal of Animal Ecology. This study examined how activity budgets of mantled howler monkeys in Los Tuxtlas, México, … Continue reading The art of doing as little as possible: What howler monkeys can teach us about energy and time

Digging into dirt: how rewilded mammals shape the hidden insect communities beneath our feet

This blog post is provided by Lucy Johanson and Heloise Gibb and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the article, “Digging into dirt: rewilding with threatened mammals shapes soil insect assemblages”, which was recently published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. In their study, Johanson, Gibb and colleagues explore the insect communities of the Australian desert and how they are impacted as ecosystem engineers are reintroduced. In Australia, … Continue reading Digging into dirt: how rewilded mammals shape the hidden insect communities beneath our feet

What happens when predators eat without hunting? A new look at food webs

This blog post is provided by Solange Alexandra Batista-Nunes and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the article, “Contrasting properties of predation and scavenging networks governed by megaherbivores in an African savannah”, which was recently published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. In their study, Batista-Nunes and colleagues conduct the first comparison of predation and scavenging networks within a Kenyan ecosystem, revealing the value of scavenging in … Continue reading What happens when predators eat without hunting? A new look at food webs

A tale of two forests

This blog post is provided by Felicia Keesing and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the article “Climate warming, acorn masting, and the dynamics of rodent populations: Comparing long-term studies“, which was recently published in Journal of Animal Ecology. This study takes advantage of the accidental similarity between two long-term studies of acorns, rodents, and climate, exploring the similarities and differences in their results. More than forty … Continue reading A tale of two forests

When temperature is not the whole story: Seasonality and human influence shape energy use in wild trout populations

This blog post is provided by Meng Xu and Ignasi Arranz and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the article “Season and human footprint weaken the negative effect of temperature on the intraspecific metabolic scaling exponent of wild brown trout populations“, which was recently published in Journal of Animal Ecology. This study examined how temperature and other environmental variables affect metabolic scaling in wild brown trout. Brown trout … Continue reading When temperature is not the whole story: Seasonality and human influence shape energy use in wild trout populations

Photo credit: Snæþór Adalsteinsson

When biological theory doesn’t capture reality

This blog post is provided by Thomas Haaland and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the article “Eco-evolutionary dynamics of partially migratory metapopulations in spatially and seasonally varying environments”, which was recently published in Journal of Animal Ecology. This study models how coexistence of seasonal migration and year-round residence arises and is maintained in a metapopulation context, and how such ‘partially migratory metapopulations’ respond to extreme climatic events. … Continue reading When biological theory doesn’t capture reality

Elton Prize 2025: Shortlist announced for early career researcher award

The Elton Prize, awarded by Journal of Animal Ecology, is an annual award given to the best paper by an author at the start of their research career. The following 9 papers were shortlisted by our Senior Editors and span the 94th volume of the journal. Marco Fioratti Junod with “Herbivory mediates the response of below-ground food-webs to invasive grasses“ Angus Mitchell with “Tropical fishes can benefit … Continue reading Elton Prize 2025: Shortlist announced for early career researcher award