• Comparison of spatial downscaling methods of general circulation model results to study climate variability during the Last Glacial Maximum 

  Latombe, G.; Burke, A.; Vrac, M.; Levavasseur, G.; Dumas, C.; Kageyama, M.; Ramstein, G. (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, 2018)

  The extent to which climate conditions influenced the spatial distribution of hominin populations in the past is highly debated. General circulation models (GCMs) and archaeological data have been used to address this ...

• Historical range contraction, and not taxonomy, explains the contemporary genetic structure of the Australian tree, Acacia dealbata Link 

  Hirsch, H.; Richardson, D.M.; Impson, F.A.C.; Kleinjan, C.; Le Roux, J.J. (Springer, 2018)

  Irrespective of its causes, strong population genetic structure indicates a lack of gene flow. Understanding the processes that underlie such structure, and the spatial patterns it causes, is valuable for conservation ...

• Sex ratio rather than population size affects genetic diversity in Antennaria dioica 

  Rosche, C.; Schrieber, K.; Lachmuth, S.; Durka, W.; Hirsch, H.; Wagner, V.; Schleuning, M.; Hensen, I. (German Society for Plant Sciences and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands, 2018)

  • Habitat fragmentation and small population size can lead to genetic erosion in threatened plant populations. Classical theory implies that dioecy can counteract genetic erosion as it decreases the magnitude of inbreeding ...

• Do long-distance migratory birds track their niche through seasons? 

  Zurell, D.; Gallien, L.; Graham, C.H.; Zimmermann, N.E. (John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2018)

  Aim: Seasonal migration by animals is an extensively studied, global phenomenon.Yet, we still lack a general understanding whether migrants track their niche between summer and winter ranges (following fixed environmental ...

• Habitat disturbance selects against both small and large species across varying climates 

  Gibb, H.; Sanders, N.J.; Dunn, R.R.; Arnan, X.; Vasconcelos, H.L.; Donoso, D.A.; Andersen, A.N.; Silva, R.R.; Bishop, T.R.; Gomez, C.; Grossman, B.F.; Yusah, K.M.; Luke, S.H.; Pacheco, R.; Pearce-Duvet, J.; Retana, J.; Tista, M.; Parr, C.L. (Nordic Society Oikos, 2018)

  Global extinction drivers, including habitat disturbance and climate change, are thought to affect larger species more than smaller species. However, it is unclear if such drivers interact to affect assemblage body size ...

• Emergence of weak-intransitive competition through adaptive diversification and eco-evolutionary feedbacks 

  Gallien, L.; Landi, P.; Hui, C.; Richardson, D.M. (British Ecological Society, 2018)

  1. Indirect biotic interactions—such as intransitive competition—are increasingly recognized as being important in shaping ecological patterns in natural systems. Over long time-scales, such indirect interactions may ...

• Frequency and intensity of facilitation reveal opposing patterns along a stress gradient 

  Gallien, L.; Zurell, D.; Zimmermann, N.E. (John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2018)

  Disentangling the different processes structuring ecological communities is a long-standing challenge. In species-rich ecosystems, most emphasis has so far been given to environmental filtering and competition processes, ...

• Climate change leads to increasing population density and impacts of a key island invader 

  McClelland, G.T.W.; Altwegg, R.; van Aarde, R.J.; Ferreira, S.; Burger, A.E.; Chown, S.L. (Ecological Society of America, 2018)

  The considerable threats of invasive rodents to island biodiversity are likely to be compounded by climate change. Forecasts for such interactions have been most pronounced for the Southern Ocean islands where ameliorating ...

• The impact of invasive aquatic plants on ecosystem services and human well-being in Wular Lake, India 

  Keller, R.; Masoodi, A.; Shackleton, R.T. (Springer, 2018)

  Alien invasive species cause significant impacts on ecosystems and economies, but the impacts on human well-being and livelihoods are less well known. Negative impacts can be particularly severe when caused by floating ...

• Conservation implications of spatial genetic structure in two species of oribatid mites from the Antarctic Peninsula and the Scotia Arc. 

  Jansen van Vuuren, B.; Lee, J.E.; Convey, P.; Chown, S.L. (Cambridge University Press, 2018)

  Mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data from two Antarctic ameronothroid mites, Halozetes belgicae and Alaskozetes antarcticus, were used to address three key questions important for understanding both the evolution of ...

• Managing consequences of climate-driven species redistribution requires intergration of ecology, conservation and social science 

  Bonebrake, T.C.; Brown, C.J.; Bell, J.D.; Blanchard, J.L.; Chauvenet, A.; Champion, C.; Chen, I.-C.; Clark, T.D.; Colwell, R.K.; Danielsen, F.; Dell, A.I.; Donelson, J.M.; Evengard, B.; Ferrier, S.; Frusher, S.; Garcia, R.A.; et al. (Cambridge Philosophical Society, 2018)

  Climate change is driving a pervasive global redistribution of the planet’s species. Species redistribution poses new questions for the study of ecosystems, conservation science and human societies that require a coordinated ...

• A trophic interaction framework for identifying the invasive capacity of novel organisms 

  Penk, M.; Saul, W.-C.; Dick, J.T.A.; Donohue, I.; Alexander, M.E.; Linzmaier, S.; Jeschke, J.M. (British Ecological Society, 2017)

  1. The likelihood and impacts of invasions by novel organisms (e.g. non-native species, genetically modified organisms) on the composition and functioning of receiving biological communities hinges on their capacity to ...

• Human health risks of metal and metalloids in muscle tissue of Synodontis zambezensis Peters, 1852 from Flag Boshielo Dam, South Africa 

  Sara, J.R.; Marr, S.M.; Smit, W.J.; Erasmus, L.J.C.; Luus-Powell, W.J. (NISC (Pty) Ltd, 2017)

  Muscle tissue from 63 Synodontis zambezensis collected bimonthly in 2013 at Flag Boshielo Dam were analysed for metals and metalloids in a desktop human health risk assessment. The Hazard Quotient, based on a weekly meal of ...

• Does public awareness increase support for invasive species management? Promising evidence across taxa and landscape types 

  Novoa, A.; Dehnen-Schmutz, K.; Fried, J.; Vimercati, G. (Springer, 2017)

  Management of invasive species often raises substantial conflicts of interest. Since such conflicts can hamper proposed management actions, managers, decision makers and researchers increasingly recognize the need to ...

• Small urban centres as launching sites for plant invasions in natural areas: insights from South Africa 

  McLean, P.; Gallien, L.; Wilson, J.R.U.; Gaertner, M.; Richardson, D.M. (Springer, 2017)

  Alien species are often first introduced to urban areas, so it is unsurprising that towns and cities are often hotspots for invasions. However, while large cities are usually the first sites of introduction, small towns ...

• Limiting similarity and Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis: understanding the drivers of biotic resistance against invasive plant species. 

  Yannelli, F.A.; Koch, C.; Jeschke, J.M.; Kollmann, J. (Springer, 2017)

  Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain biotic resistance of a recipient plant community based on reduced niche opportunities for invasive alien plant species. The limiting similarity hypothesis predicts that ...

• Ecologists winning arguments: End don’t justify the means. A response to Begon 

  Saul, W.-C.; Shackleton, R.T.; Yannelli, F.A. (Elsevier, 2017)

• The ecological integrity of the lower Olifants River, Limpopo province, South Africa: 2009-2015-Part B: Tributaries of the Olifants River 

  Marr, S.M.; Mohlala, T.D.; Swemmer, A. (Taylor & Francis, 2017)

  Monitoring on the Lowveld reaches of the Olifants River, Limpopo River System, and its Steelpoort, Blyde, Klaserie and Selati tributaries was initiated in 2009. Analysis of the 2009–2015 data from four Olifants River sites ...

• The ecological integrity of the Lower Olifants River, Limpopo province, South Africa: 2009-2015-Part A: Olifants River main stem 

  Marr, S.M.; Mohlala, T.D.; Swemmer, A. (Taylor & Francis, 2017)

  The major rivers of the South African ‘Lowveld’ (low-latitude savanna) suffer numerous impacts from upstream economic activities. Whereas monitoring these rivers is required to detect biodiversity losses, record ...

• Introduction to the special issue: Tree invasions: towards a better understanding of their complex evolutionary dynamics 

  Hirsch, H.; Richardson, D.M.; Le Roux, J.J. (Oxford University Press, 2017)

  Many invasive plants show evidence of trait-based evolutionary change, but these remain largely unexplored for invasive trees. The increasing number of invasive trees and their tremendous impacts worldwide, however, illustrates ...

View more