Tag: evolution

Guest post

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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Conference Report

Ecology & Evolution of Infectious Diseases Conference

A few weeks ago, Dr Lauren White from the University of Minnesota told us about the intersection of wildlife conservation, disease and human health for Endangered Species Day. Now she is back to give us a recap of the Ecology & Evolution of Infectious Disease Conference recently held in Glasgow – including some pretty nifty conference events complete with a Scottish flair! This year, the … Continue reading Ecology & Evolution of Infectious Diseases Conference

Sarah Marley1 Comment
Guest post

Evolution of dance and color in the birds of paradise

In this post, we take a behind-the-scenes look at a recent study into the drivers of complexity in bird of paradise displays. Meredith Miles, a PhD student in Dr Matthew Fuxjager’s lab at Wake Forest University, takes an integrative approach into behavioural ecology. This involves studying the molecular and physiological mechanisms that underlie display performance all the way up to the diversity of macroevolutionary pattern … Continue reading Evolution of dance and color in the birds of paradise

Sarah Marley1 Comment
Press release

Competitive males are a blessing and a curse

jae-2016-00123-r2-2This post is a press release from the authors of Journal of Animal Ecology paper “Sexual selection can both increase and decrease extinction probability: reconciling demographic and evolutionary factors” by Carlos Martínez-Ruiz and Robert J. Knell Issued by Queen Mary, University of London Press Office.

Showy ornaments used by the male of the species in competition for mates, such as the long tail of a peacock or shaggy mane of a lion, could indicate a species’ risk of decline in a changing climate, according to a new study from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). Continue reading “Competitive males are a blessing and a curse”

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Video

The Future of Data Archiving

At the BES Annual Meeting 2015 in Edinburgh, a lively debate was held on the future of data archiving. The debate was recorded and the video can be viewed here.

The British Ecology Society (BES) has been mandating the archiving of data for all papers published in its journals since January 2014, so with the mandate having been in place for over 2 years this was a good opportunity to take stock of the impacts and look to the future. While it is recognised that data archiving presents both financial and time costs to researchers, the benefits of data preservation and validation of results help to advance science. The aim of the debate was to provide the opportunity for researchers to debate the pros and cons of data archiving in an open format. Continue reading “The Future of Data Archiving”

Journal of Animal Ecology2 Comments