Monitoring and methods, Research summaries, Themed collections

Spotlight: Decision making under uncertainty

Issue 55:2 of Journal of Applied Ecology features a Spotlight on Decision making under uncertainty. Senior Editor, Michael Bode discusses these Spotlight papers, chosen by the Editors to showcase the latest research in this area. Professor John Shepherd famously compared fisheries management to forestry, except that the trees were invisible and were constantly moving around. Most applied ecologists would sympathise, while simultaneously casting an envious eye … Continue reading Spotlight: Decision making under uncertainty

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Editor's Choice

Editor’s Choice 55:2 – How does grazing by wild ungulates and livestock affect plant richness?

The Editor’s Choice for issue 55:2 is written by Associate Editor, Jörg Müller. The selected article is Livestock activity increases exotic plant richness, but wildlife increases native richness, with stronger effects under low productivity by David J. Eldridge et al. Browsing and grazing by wild ungulates and livestock affect the vegetation layer in complex ways, creating many management conflicts in silviculture, restoration and conservation. However, certain types of herbivory … Continue reading Editor’s Choice 55:2 – How does grazing by wild ungulates and livestock affect plant richness?

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Careers, The Applied Ecologist community

Women in applied ecology – tales from our editors (2 of 2)

What does it really mean to be a woman working in applied ecology? Thursday 8th March is International Women’s Day and Sunday 11th February 2018 was International Day of Women and Girls in Science. To celebrate this, some of our editors have shared  anecdotes highlighting their own challenges and triumphs, providing a snapshot of what it really means to be a woman in applied ecology. Select … Continue reading Women in applied ecology – tales from our editors (2 of 2)

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Careers, The Applied Ecologist community

Women in applied ecology – tales from our editors (1 of 2)

What does it really mean to be a woman working in applied ecology? Thursday 8th March is International Women’s Day and Sunday 11th February 2018 was International Day of Women and Girls in Science. To celebrate this, some of our editors have shared  anecdotes highlighting their own challenges and triumphs, providing a snapshot of what it really means to be a woman in applied ecology. Select … Continue reading Women in applied ecology – tales from our editors (1 of 2)

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Research summaries

Land use change and the interplay between functional and phylogenetic diversity in tropical forest birds

Philip Chapman comments on recent article, Contrasting impacts of land-use change on phylogenetic and functional diversity of tropical forest birds. It is increasingly recognised that biodiversity conservation needs to look beyond the goal of preserving species richness, to maintaining healthy functioning ecosystems and their evolutionary resilience in the face of environmental change. Species vary in evolutionary distinctness and the uniqueness of traits contributing to key ecological … Continue reading Land use change and the interplay between functional and phylogenetic diversity in tropical forest birds

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Human-wildlife interactions, Research summaries

Integrating socio-economic and ecological data leads to better management recommendations

Comparing the effects of habitat fragmentation with those of human persecution on the Chilean güiña, Associate Editor, Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi discusses the recent article, A spatially integrated framework for assessing socioecological drivers of carnivore decline by Gálvez et al. When trying to understand the distribution and abundanceof species, very often, ecological studies ignore the interactions these animals have with one of the most ubiquitous species on the planet, the human! … Continue reading Integrating socio-economic and ecological data leads to better management recommendations

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Agriculture, Research summaries, Themed collections

Functional traits in agroecology: advancing description and prediction in agroecosystems

Our series of posts on the Special Feature, Functional traits in agroecology rounds up with a post from one of the series’ editors, Adam Martin. We’ve always thought “commentary” articles – particularly those that outline a vision for a future field of research – to be an interesting enigma in science. On one hand, many commentary-type articles have been undoubtedly influential and can be pointed … Continue reading Functional traits in agroecology: advancing description and prediction in agroecosystems

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Research summaries

Biodiversity erosion in Brazil due to land use change: the case of grasslands

A new study by Ingmar R. Staude et al. calls for more restrictive policies around land use change in South Brazil’s grasslands. Read the full article, Local biodiversity erosion in south Brazilian grasslands under moderate levels of landscape habitat loss in Journal of Applied Ecology. Common perception of biodiversity in Brazil is mostly biased towards the exotic wilderness of Amazonia, to lush rainforests that harbor species … Continue reading Biodiversity erosion in Brazil due to land use change: the case of grasslands

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Research summaries

Prioritising local habitat quality for woodland hoverflies

Kirsty Park and colleagues discuss the importance of habitat quality in restoration efforts. Read the full article, Local-scale attributes determine the suitability of woodland creation sites for Diptera in Journal of Applied Ecology. To benefit woodland-associated Diptera, and in particular hoverflies, woodland creation and restoration efforts should focus on ‘habitat quality’, in particular to ensure a diverse tree and understory vegetation structure. These are the findings … Continue reading Prioritising local habitat quality for woodland hoverflies

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Agriculture, Research summaries, Themed collections

Functional traits represent a key nexus between scientific and local knowledge

Continuing our Special Feature series, Functional traits in agroecology, Marney Isaac comments on her paper, Farmer perception and utilization of leaf functional traits in managing agroecosystems. Using leaf functional traits to understand plant response to environmental change is well-established for research in a wide number of natural ecosystems, and now being more widely applied to agroecosystems. Yet, little is known about if, or how, farm managers … Continue reading Functional traits represent a key nexus between scientific and local knowledge

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