Research summaries

Costs of passive dispersal in fragmented landscapes

In this post, Brittany Teller (@brittzinator) describes her recent paper with co- authors Adam Miller & Katriona Shea “Conservation of passively dispersed organisms in the context of habitat degradation and destruction“ Leaving the natal location (hereafter, “dispersal”) can be a critical part of many species’ life cycles. If dispersing individuals help establish new populations, this colonization can help keep connected metapopulations viable in the face of disturbances … Continue reading Costs of passive dispersal in fragmented landscapes

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Research summaries

A dilemma in conservation practice

In this post, Johan du Toit, focuses on a dilemma in conservation practice: should we do what seems best now or gather more information to (maybe) come up with a better plan? Johan handled the recent paper by Sean Maxwell (@Sean_Ecology)  et al. “How much is new information worth? Evaluating the financial benefit of resolving management uncertainty.“ Conservation practitioners are continually confronted by the question of whether … Continue reading A dilemma in conservation practice

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Research summaries

Silent Spring redux? Insecticides cascade up a food chain to poison carnivores

In this post, Ian Kaplan discusses a paper he recently handled by Margaret Douglas, Jason Rohr and John Tooker “Neonicotinoid insecticide travels through a soil food chain, disrupting biological control of non-target pests and decreasing soybean yield.“. The authors have also written a practitioner summary  and a press release “Insecticides foster ‘toxic’ slugs, reduce crop yields” for this paper. Despite being published >50 years ago, almost everyone … Continue reading Silent Spring redux? Insecticides cascade up a food chain to poison carnivores

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Research summaries

Can’t see the puffins for the auks? Estimating population size with imperfect species identification

In this post, Alison Johnston (@ali__johnston) talks about her paper published today “Modelling the abundance and distribution of marine birds accounting for uncertain species identification”. Ecological surveys balance the competing goals of data quality and data quantity. We can intensively survey a small area, or cover a larger area with less detail and precision, for example in large-scale citizen science surveys. Recently there has been … Continue reading Can’t see the puffins for the auks? Estimating population size with imperfect species identification

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Research summaries

Energy production and wildlife: using syntheses for evidence-based decisions

In today’s post Chris Elphick (@ssts) discusses the recent review paper by Torre Hovick et al. and the importance of evidence-based syntheses for making informed decisions. This autumn, I saw my first Cape May warbler in the state where I live. Unfortunately, the sighting occurred when a colleague walked into my lab and handed me the corpse. Every year during migration, the ground around our … Continue reading Energy production and wildlife: using syntheses for evidence-based decisions

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Virtual Issue: Conservation evidence, decision-making and the role of scientific publications

At Journal of Applied Ecology, we’ve put together this Virtual Issue on Conservation evidence, decision making and the role of scientific publications to complement a one-day symposium on Conservation Evidence: informing decision making being held today by the British Ecological Society’s Conservation Special Interest Group and the Field Studies Council. All 16 papers are free to access and are brought together in an Editorial introduction by … Continue reading Virtual Issue: Conservation evidence, decision-making and the role of scientific publications

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Research summaries

Bringing land sparing and land sharing to the city

This post was written by Jonathan Rhodes, @j_r_rhodes, on the recent paper by Masa Soga et al. on land sharing and land sparing in urban systems. In agricultural landscapes the idea of choosing between strategies that intersperse intensive land-uses with areas set aside for biodiversity (land sparing) versus less intensive agriculture without set-asides (land sharing) to maximise biodiversity is relatively well developed (Green et al. … Continue reading Bringing land sparing and land sharing to the city

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Perspectives, Practitioners, The Applied Ecologist community

Are biologists just “tourists with binoculars”? Exploring the knowing-doing gap in tropical countries

Today’s post is a fascinating perspective on the knowing-doing gap from Anne Toomey. Anne also has her own blog: Science and the Community – Adventures in the Bolivian Amazon. In a recent issue of Journal of Applied Ecology, editor Philip Hulme wrote a piece on the increasingly discussed knowing-doing gap, in which there is a “clear mismatch between ecological knowledge generated by researchers and that … Continue reading Are biologists just “tourists with binoculars”? Exploring the knowing-doing gap in tropical countries

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Research summaries

Forest certification can benefit cork oak woodlands

In this guest post, Filipe S. Dias provides a summary of his recent paper “Effects of forest certification on the ecological condition of Mediterranean streams“. In Mediterranean regions, streams and riparian habitats support dense and productive forest ecosystems that contrast strongly with the adjacent semi-arid habitats. During the hot and dry Mediterranean summer these habitats provide food and water to several animal species and harbour … Continue reading Forest certification can benefit cork oak woodlands

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