In this blog post, Nicola Jackson shares the findings from their latest study looking at how sampling air particles to detect DNA can be useful in monitoring and conserving koalas. Perched high up in a Eucalyptus tree, swaying from side to side, lies a sleepy koala unaware of the means spent each year trying to obtain accurate baseline information about its presence. We have thrown … Continue reading Tracking koalas – how airborne DNA can help us
Chengjin Chu and co-authors discuss their latest research which presents a cross-trophic interaction study between the red imported fire ant and plants. The red imported fire ant (RIFA) is one of the most invasive insects in the world. Many pest management methods have been used to control the spread and damage of RIFA, like quarantine measures and powerful pesticides. However, one may wonder: Do more … Continue reading Tree species richness suppresses red imported fire ant invasion in a subtropical plantation forest
Víctor Martín and Joan Navarro talk us through how gulls tagged with GPS and tested for pathogens can be used as tools to detect early pathogen circulation and pollution sources in the environment. This is explored further in their new research article. Antimicrobial resistance is a global health challenge, exacerbated by the overuse of antibiotics in both human and veterinary medicine. The emergence and spread of … Continue reading Gulls as evil and allies to detect antibiotic resistance in agricultural environments
Alice Bernard and co-authors describe how they have jointly used local ecological knowledge and camera trap data. With hindsight, they discuss how involving local people in research projects can enhance conservation efforts in the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve (GRBR), South Africa. The Garden Route National Park (GRNP), in the eponym Biosphere Reserve, is one of the only truly unfenced National Parks in South Africa. The … Continue reading Combining local ecological knowledge with camera traps: African mammal life-history traits and their occurrence in anthropogenic landscapes
As part of our celebration of Peer Review Week 2024, Journal of Applied Ecology is reflecting on the launch of the Early Career Researcher Reviewer Prize. How did the idea come about? The act of peer review (academic work being evaluated by others in the same field) is crucial to the research process. It is integral in helping to ensure diligence, determine originality, and improve … Continue reading Early Career Researcher Reviewer Prize: Journal of Applied Ecology
Dieser Beitrag ist hier auch auf Englisch verfügbar. Dominik Poniatowski und Kollegen beschreiben, wie sie die Umweltfaktoren des Artenreichtums und der Biomasse von Heuschrecken im Grünland bewertet und dabei zwischen Naturschutzgebieten und intensiv genutzter Agrarlandschaft verglichen haben. Das extensiv genutzte Grünland gilt als Hotspot der Biodiversität in Mitteleuropa. Allerdings wurde insbesondere seit Mitte des letzten Jahrhunderts die Nutzung auf vielen dieser Flächen intensiviert oder das … Continue reading Naturschutzgebiete mit einem hohen Anteil an Grünland sichern einen hohen Artenreichtum und eine hohe Biomasse von Heuschrecken
This blog post is also available in German here. Dominik Poniatowski and colleagues describe how they evaluated the environmental drivers of species richness and biomass of grasshoppers in grasslands, comparing this between nature reserves and intensively-used agriculture landscape. Grassland exhibiting low land-use intensity is considered a hotspot of biodiversity in Central Europe. However, particularly since the mid-20th century, grassland land use has often been intensified, … Continue reading Grassland nature reserves safeguard a high species richness and biomass of grasshoppers
Callie Cho and Robin Naidoo talk us through how, using observed animal movements rather than conventional resistance surface models, a connectivity conservation blueprint for African elephants in the Kavango-Zambezi transfrontier conservation area (KAZA) in southern Africa was produced. This is explored further in the new research article. A key aspect of effective conservation management is understanding landscape connectivity—how easily animals can move between vital resource … Continue reading Elephant expressways: Examining multi-scalar elephant connectivity in KAZA
Author Cheryl Schultz talks us through a new study which highlights the importance of active management interventions in helping to buffer effects of climate change, and helping to improve population trends for at-risk butterflies. Where did the idea come from? With extensive coverage in academic and popular publications, the widespread decline of butterflies is well-known. Butterflies face a triumvirate of threats: the cumulative effects of … Continue reading Using management interventions to help at-risk butterflies in a changing climate
Are you looking to learn more about the peer review process through hands-on experience? Are you less than five years post-PhD and live in/are from the Global South? Why not consider applying for Journal of Applied Ecology’s 2025 mentoring scheme! What is the mentoring scheme? Since 2015, Journal of Applied Ecology has welcomed a small group of mentees with minimum editorial experience each year. This voluntary two-year … Continue reading Associate Editor Mentoring: 2025 applications now open!
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