Review Articles

Beyond phytohaemagglutinin: assessing vertebrate immune function across ecological contexts
Authors: Gregory E. Demas, Devin A. Zysling, Brianna R. Beechler, Michael P. Muehlenbein, Susannah S. French
J Anim Ecol Vol 80 Iss 4 pp (710-730), DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01813.x
The focus of this review is to describe a wide range of eco-immunology techniques, from the simple to the sophisticated, with the goal of providing researchers with a range of options to consider incorporating in their own research programs.  By incorporating assessments of immune function into their specific research questions, animal ecologists will gain a more comprehensive understanding of organism–environment interactions.

Wildlife diseases: from individuals to ecosystems  
Authors: Daniel M. Tompkins, Alison M. Dunn, Matthew J. Smith, Sandra Telfer
J Anim Ecol Vol 80 Iss 1 pp (19-38), DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2010.01742.x
The Authors review our ecological understanding of wildlife infectious diseases from the individual host to the ecosystem scale, highlighting where conceptual thinking lacks verification, discussing difficulties and challenges, and offering potential future research directions.  They look at cross-scale interactions associated with parasitism and how such interactions may offer key insights into bigger picture questions such as when and how different regulatory factors are important, when disease can cause species extinctions, and what characteristics are indicative of functionally resilient ecosystems
 

Carry-over effects as drivers of fitness differences in animals  
Authors: Xavier A. Harrison, Jonathan D. Blount, Richard Inger, D. Ryan Norris, Stuart Bearhop
J Anim Ecol Vol 80 Iss 1 pp (4-18), DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2010.01740.x
Carry over effects are likely to explain a significant amount of variation in life history traits, yet we have a very poor understanding of the ways in which they operate or how widespread they are. Here we review the evidence for carry over effects and suggest a number of priorities for future investigation.  (Image by John Fox taken on North Bull Island, Dublin)
 

Mechanisms driving change: altered species interactions and ecosystem function through global warming  Vol 79 Iss 5 pp 937-947
Lochran W. Traill, Matthew L. M. Lim, Navjot S. Sodhi, Corey J. A. Bradshaw
Published Online: May 11 2010 11:34AM  DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2010.01695.x
Traill et al. review the mechanisms behind ecosystem functions, the processes that facilitate energy transfer along food webs, and the major processes that allow the cycling of carbon, oxygen and nitrogen, and use case studies to show how these have already been, and will continue to be, altered by global warming.
 

Maximal heat dissipation capacity and hyperthermia risk: neglected key factors in the ecology of endotherms Vol 79 Iss 4 pp 726 - 746
John R. Speakman, Elżbieta Król
Published Online: Apr 28 2010 9:45AM, DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2010.01689.x

In their review Speakman and Krol suggest that capacity to dissipate heat is a major constraint on endotherm maximal metabolic rates and hence their ecology
 

Analysis of variance with unbalanced data: an update for ecology & evolution
Andy Hector, Stefanie von Felten, Bernhard Schmid - Vol 79 Iss 2 pp 308 316
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01634.x
Factorial analysis of variance (anova) with unbalanced (non-orthogonal) data is a commonplace but controversial and poorly understood topic in applied statistics. We summarize the main recent developments and emphasise the shift away from the search for the 'right' anova table in favour of presenting one or more models that best suit the objectives of the analysis.

Special 'how to ....' paper

An ecologists’ guide to the animal model
Alastair J. Wilson, Denis Réale, Michelle N. Clements, Michael M. Morrissey, Erik Postma, Craig A. Walling, Loeske E. B. Kruuk, Daniel H. Nussey - 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.
 

Considering ecological dynamics in resource selection functions
Philip D. McLoughlin, Douglas W. Morris, Daniel Fortin, Eric Vander Wal, Adrienne L. Contasti - VOL 79 ISSUE 1 pp 4 - 12
10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01613.x
We believe that there is a need for us to reacquaint ourselves with ecological theory when interpreting Resource Selection Function models. We outline a suite of factors likely to govern ecologically based variation in a Resource Selection Function.  Investigating the basis of ecological dynamics in a Resource Selection Function will allow us to develop more robust models when applied to forecasting the spatial distribution of animals. It may also further our understanding of the relative importance of ecological interactions on the distribution and abundance of species.
 

Ecological feedbacks and the evolution of resistance
Meghan A. Duffy, Samantha E. Forde - VOL 78 ISSUE 6 pp 1106-1112
10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01568.x
The idea that parasites can affect host diversity is pervasive, and the possibility that parasites can increase host diversity is of particular interest. In this review, we focus on diversity in the resistance of hosts to their parasites, and on the different ways in which parasites can increase or decrease this resistance diversity.
 

Linking movement behaviour, dispersal and population processes: is individual variation a key?
Colin Hawkes - VOL 78 ISSUE 5 pp 894-906
10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01534.x
Movement behaviour has become increasingly important in dispersal ecology and dispersal is central to the development of spatially explicit population ecology. The ways in which the elements have been brought together are reviewed with particular emphasis on dispersal distance distributions and the value of mechanistic models.  (It is with regret we announce that Colin Hawkes died suddenly in July 2009.  Our deepest sympathy goes to his son Tom and the rest of the family.)
 

Cascading top-down effects of changing oceanic predator abundances
Julia K. Baum & Boris Worm - VOL 78 ISSUE 4 pp 699 - 714
10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01531.x
Top-down control can be an important determinant of ecosystem structure and function, but in oceanic ecosystems, where cascading effects of predator depletions, recoveries, and invasions could be significant, such effects had rarely been demonstrated until recently.
Here we synthesize the evidence for oceanic top-down control that has emerged over the last decade, focusing on large, high trophic-level predators inhabiting continental shelves, seas, and the open ocean
 

Ecological networks - beyond food webs
Thomas C Ings et al. - VOL 78 ISSUE 1 pp 253-269
10.1111/j.1365-2656.2008.01460.x
Ecological networks can be subdivided into three broad types: 'traditional' food webs, mutualistic networks and host–parasitoid networks. There is a recent trend towards cross-comparisons among network types and also to take a more mechanistic, as opposed to phenomenological, perspective. For example, analysis of network configurations, such as compartments, allows us to explore the role of co-evolution in structuring mutualistic networks and host–parasitoid networks, and of body size in food webs.

A review of extinction in experimental populations
Authors: Blaine D. Griffen and John M. Drake VOL 77 iSSUE 6 pp 1274-1287
10.1111/j.1365-2656.2008.01426.x
Population extinction is a fundamental ecological process. Recent experimental work has begun to test the large body of theory that predicts how demographic, genetic and environmental factors influence extinction risk. We review empirical studies of extinction conducted under controlled laboratory conditions.  Our synthesis highlights four findings; highlighting the need to integrate community ecology into population theory, studies are needed that quantitatively compare observed and predicted extinction rates, need for more investigation into migration effects, laboratory experiments often conflict with field studies.

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