Volume 79, Issue 1 Highlights

Articles highlighted by the Editors or readers of the journal
(images are provided by Authors and under copyright)

Special 'How to.......' Paper
An Ecologist's guide to the animal model
Authors; Alastair J. Wilson, Denis Réale, Michelle N. Clements, Michael M. Morrissey, Erik Postma, Craig A. Walling, Loeske E. B. Kruuk, Daniel H. Nussey
Published on line: December 11 2009 11.26am - J Anim Ecol Vol 79 Iss 1 (pp 13 - 26) - DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01639.x

In one of our first 'how to' papers Wilson and colleagues provide a user's guide for researchers planning on using the Animal Model. We hope that in the future we will publish several more 'How to' papers.
 

Parabiotic associations between tropical ants: equal partnership or parasitic exploitation?
Authors; F. Menzel, N. Blüthgen - J Anim Ecol Vol 79 Iss 1 (pp 71 - 81)
Published Online: November 5 2009 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01628.x

The majority of interactions between individuals of different species involve aggression – either they try to eat one another, or compete with them for a resource. For example, interactions between species can be parasitic with one species exploiting another. Occasionally, observations are made where mutualism occurs. In such cases individuals from differing species help one another and both benefit. A rare type of mutualism, found only in Asian and South American tropical rainforests, is known as ‘parabiosis’ where two different species of ant share a nest. It has not been well studied until now. Nico Bluthgen and Florian Menzel, in EarlyView, report an elegant study of two Borneo ant species that amicably share a nest. Their results suggest that the smaller species benefits from protection provided by the more aggressive larger species, while the larger species benefits from the superior foraging abilities of the smaller species. The research begs more questions – why do so few species show such behaviour, and how does such behaviour get started? I am sure that further studies of this remarkable system will help answer these questions.

Can compensatory culling offset undesirable evolutionary consequences of trophy hunting?
Authors; Atle Mysterud and Richard Bischof - J Anim Ecol Vol 79 Iss 1 (pp 148 - 160)
Published online: October 14 2009 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01621.x

Species where the largest individuals are actively selected by hunters, or fishermen, are getting smaller, with examples ranging from bighorn sheep, cod and pike. Because hunters like large trophy animals, this has raised concern in some quarters: ‘I just caught a one pound salmon’ holds little kudos. Various management strategies have been proposed as a way to prevent trophy shrinkage, and in this paper Mysterud et al. examine the likely consequences of a strategy where hunting-induced mortality is designed to mimic patterns of natural mortality. Using an elegant optimization approach they conclude that this approach could help maintain large-antlered deer, while keeping hunters happy.

Site Footer

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service
• Copyright
• Wiley.com