The Push and Pull of Niche in Rodents

This blog post is provided by Pei-Jen L. Shaner and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the paper “Niche overlap in rodents increases with competition but not ecological opportunity: A role of inter-individual difference“, which was recently published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. She explores how different rodent species in Taiwan have different dietary niches to allow coexistence between individuals and species. Animals living in the … Continue reading The Push and Pull of Niche in Rodents

How animals fuel their reproduction: a new approach

This blog post is provided by John Whiteman and tells the #StoryBehindThePaper for the article “Quantifying capital vs. income breeding: new promise with stable isotope measurements of individual amino acids“, which was recently published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. It is an intensive process to grow and support offspring – just ask anyone who has raised children. For wild animals, supporting rapidly-developing, new organisms creates many challenges, whether … Continue reading How animals fuel their reproduction: a new approach

Natalie Clay – Winner of the 2017 Elton Prize

We are delighted to announce that Natalie Clay has been awarded the 2017 Elton Prize for her paper:  Towards a geography of omnivory: Omnivores increase carnivory when sodium is limiting. Natalie Clay obtained her PhD from the University of Oklahoma in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program in 2013 under the direction of Michael Kaspari. Her dissertation research examined the relationship between nutrient inputs like … Continue reading Natalie Clay – Winner of the 2017 Elton Prize

Glimpsing evolutionary instability in mountains

There are many challenging environments on the planet, and the Andes Mountains are no exception. Animals living at height need to overcome a range of extremes – but how do they achieve this and what impact does it have on their evolution? Chauncey Gadek is a Masters student at the University of New Mexico, and his research with Dr Christopher Witt examines the impact of … Continue reading Glimpsing evolutionary instability in mountains