Category: Guest post

Guest post

Survival and dispersal drive population dynamics of UK breeding Pied flycatchers

This blog post is provided by Malcolm Burgess and Chloé Nater and tells the #StoryBehindthePaper for the paper ‘Spatial consistency in drivers of population dynamics of a declining migratory bird‘, which was recently published in Journal of Animal Ecology. In their study, they used long-running nest monitoring and individual mark-recapture data collected mainly by citizen scientists and shared through the SPI-Birds Network and Database. They … Continue reading Survival and dispersal drive population dynamics of UK breeding Pied flycatchers

Unknown's avatarJulie SheardLeave a comment
#StoryBehindThePaper, Guest post

Why do birds of a feather flock together?

This blog post is provided by Shannon Buckley Luepold and tells the #StoryBehindthePaper for the paper “Habitat detection, habitat choice copying, or mating benefits: what drives conspecific attraction in a nomadic songbird?“, which was recently published in Journal of Animal Ecology. The authors explored why wood warblers settle near each other, comparing hypotheses about other birds acting as a signal of good habitat, simply copying … Continue reading Why do birds of a feather flock together?

Unknown's avatarBeth PrestonLeave a comment
Guest post

What do dung beetles actually do?

This blog post is provided by Joaquín Hortal and Indradatta deCastro-Arrazola and tells the #StoryBehindthePaper for the paper ‘ A trait-based framework for dung beetle functional ecology’, which was recently published in Journal of Animal Ecology. In this blog post you can read how a group of dung beetle ecologists came together to establish a framework for the study of the functional ecology of dung … Continue reading What do dung beetles actually do?

Unknown's avatarJulie SheardLeave a comment
Guest post

Historical data show serious threats facing freshwater mussels in major UK river

This blog post is provided by Isobel Ollard and tells the #StoryBehindthePaper for the paper ‘Declines in freshwater mussel density, size and productivity in the River Thames over the past half century‘, which was recently published in Journal of Animal Ecology. The authors replicated a survey of freshwater mussels in the River Thames from the 1960s and mussel populations had declined to less than 10% … Continue reading Historical data show serious threats facing freshwater mussels in major UK river

Unknown's avatarJulie Sheard1 Comment
Black History Month, Diversity in Ecology, Guest post

César Marín: building a flourishing career in soil ecology amidst Colombia’s political conflict

Following Black History Month, the British Ecological Society (BES) journals continue to celebrate the work of Black ecologists from around the world and share their stories. The theme for UK Black History Month this year has been Time for Change: Action Not Words. César Marín—a professor at Universidad Santo Tomás, Valdivia, Chile—shares his story below. How did you get into ecology? My name is César Marín … Continue reading César Marín: building a flourishing career in soil ecology amidst Colombia’s political conflict

Unknown's avatarJournal of Animal EcologyLeave a comment
#StoryBehindThePaper, Guest post

Do birds build bigger nests when it’s cold?

This blog post is provided by Karina Vanadzina and tells the #StoryBehindthePaper for the paper ‘Global drivers of variation in cup nest size in passerine birds‘, which was recently published in Journal of Animal Ecology. In their study they find that nest size in passerine bird species is closely linked to the conditions in their breeding habitat. A parent bird tending to their chicks in … Continue reading Do birds build bigger nests when it’s cold?

Unknown's avatarJulie SheardLeave a comment
Guest post

To Breed or Not to Breed: Skipped Breeding Can Obscure True Population Dynamics in Colonially Breeding Seabirds

This blog post is provided by Emma J. Talis and tells the #StoryBehindthePaper for the paper ‘Variability, Skipped Breeding, and Heavy-tailed Dynamics in an Antarctic Seabird‘, which was recently published in Journal of Animal Ecology. The authors show that the presence of variable rates of skipped breeding in Adélie penguins can challenge our interpretation of abundance fluctuations and obscure relationships with key environmental drivers. Considered … Continue reading To Breed or Not to Breed: Skipped Breeding Can Obscure True Population Dynamics in Colonially Breeding Seabirds

Unknown's avatarJulie SheardLeave a comment
Guest post

Field experiments, ecology and physiology: studying cultural propensities in wild species

This blog post is provided by Kelly Ray Mannion and tells the #StoryBehindthePaper for the paper ‘A multicomponent approach to study cultural propensities during foraging in the wild‘, which was recently published in Journal of Animal Ecology. In their paper, they review previous work done with field experiments, how to assess diet and ecology, as well as physiology to offer a framework to study cultural … Continue reading Field experiments, ecology and physiology: studying cultural propensities in wild species

Unknown's avatarJulie SheardLeave a comment
Conference Report, Guest post

Climate Change Genomics workshop: Vulnerability, adaptations & applications

How can genetic and genomic tools improve our capacity to assess species vulnerability and study adaptations to climate change? Orly Razgour, Tin Hang (Henry) Hung, Regina Kolzenburg, and Brenna Forester report on their international online 3-day workshop held in September 2022. Climate change is producing a range of new selection pressures, forcing species to shift their ranges to track suitable climates or adapt to changing … Continue reading Climate Change Genomics workshop: Vulnerability, adaptations & applications

Unknown's avatarBeth PrestonLeave a comment
Guest post

Functional Traits Predict Sensitivity of Forest Birds to Habitat Disturbance in Tropical Countryside

This blog post is provided by Ian Ausprey and tells the #StoryBehindthePaper for the paper ‘Functional response traits and altered ecological niches drive the disassembly of cloud forest bird communities in tropical montane countrysides‘, which was recently published in Journal of Animal Ecology. In their study they examine how functional response traits related to morphology, diet, foraging behaviour and environmental niche breadth of birds predict … Continue reading Functional Traits Predict Sensitivity of Forest Birds to Habitat Disturbance in Tropical Countryside

Unknown's avatarJulie SheardLeave a comment