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Impacts of feral horses on a desert environmentEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Adverse impacts, such as soil compaction and increased erosion potential, were limited to established horse trails. In contrast, increased native plant diversity near trails and feces could be viewed as positive outcomes. Extensive trailing can result in a surprisingly large impact area: we estimate that < 30 horses used > 25 km2 of trails in our study area. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - November 10, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Stacey Ostermann-KelmEdward AtwillEsther RubinLarry HendricksonWalter Boyce Source Type: journals

Generalist dinoflagellate endosymbionts and host genotype diversity detected from mesophotic (67-100m depths) coral LeptoserisEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: This is one of the first studies to examine genetic diversity in corals and their endosymbiotic dinoflagellates sampled at the limits of the depth and light gradients for hermatypic corals. The results reveal that these corals associate with generalist endosymbiont types commonly found in shallow water corals and implies that the composition of the Symbiodinium community (based on ITS2) alone is not responsible for the dominance and broad depth distribution of Leptoseris spp. The level of genetic diversity detected in the coral NAD5 suggests that there is undescribed taxonomic diversity in the genus Leptoseris...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - September 10, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Yvonne ChanXavier PochonMarla FisherDaniel WagnerGregory ConcepcionSamuel KahngRobert ToonenRuth Gates Source Type: journals

Geographical patterning of sixteen goat breeds from Italy, Albania and Greece assessed by Single Nucleotide PolymorphismsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Our data point out that the use of SNP markers to analyze a wider breed sample could help in understanding the recent evolutionary history of domestic goats. We found correlation between genetic diversity and geographic distance. Also PCA analysis shows that the breeds are well differentiated, with good correspondence to geographical locations, thus confirming the correlation between geographical and genetic distances. This suggests that migration history of the species played a pivotal role in the present-day structure of the breeds and a scenario in which coastal routes were easier for migrating in comparison...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - September 1, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Lorraine ParisetAntonella CuteriChristina LigdaPaolo Ajmone-MarsanAlessio ValentiniEconogene Consortium Source Type: journals

The effects of spatial and temporal heterogeneity on the population dynamics of four animal species in a Danish landscapeEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Our analyses estimated the traditional parameters of carrying capacities and return rates, but these are now seen as varying continuously over the landscape depending on habitat quality and the mechanisms of density dependence. The importance of our results lies in our demonstration that the effects of spatial and temporal heterogeneity must be accounted for if we are to have accurate predictive models for use in management and conservation. This is an area which until now has lacked an adequate theoretical framework and methodology. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - June 22, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Richard SiblyJacob Nabe-NielsenMads ForchhammerValery ForbesChristopher Topping Source Type: journals

Living at the edge: biogeographic patterns of habitat segregation conform to speciation by niche expansion in Anopheles gambiaeEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Ecological segregation between M and S is consistent with niche expansion into marginal habitats by chromosomal inversion variants during early lineage divergence; presumably, this process is promoted by inter-karyotype competition in the higher-quality core habitat. We propose that the appearance of favourable allelic combinations in other regions of suppressed recombination (e.g. pericentromeric portions defining speciation islands in An. gambiae) fosters development of reproductive isolation to protect linkage between separate chromosomal regions. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - May 21, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Carlo CostantiniDiego AyalaWamdaogo GuelbeogoMarco PombiCorentin SomeImael BassoleKenji OseJean-Marie FotsingN'Fale SagnonDidier FontenilleNora BesanskyFrederic Simard Source Type: journals

Ecological niche partitioning between Anopheles gambiae molecular forms in Cameroon: the ecological side of speciationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Our data suggest that inversions on the second chromosome of An. gambiae are not causal to the evolution of reproductive isolation between the M and S forms. Rather, they are involved in ecological specialization to a similar extent in both genetic backgrounds, and most probably predated lineage splitting between molecular forms. However, because chromosome-2 inversions promote ecological divergence, resulting in spatial and/or temporal isolation between ecotypes, they might favour mutations in other ecologically significant genes to accumulate in unlinked chromosomal regions. When such mutations occur in port...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - May 21, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Frederic SimardDiego AyalaGuy KamdemMarco PombiJoachim EtounaKenji OseJean-Marie FotsingDidier FontenilleNora BesanskyCarlo Costantini Source Type: journals

Life cycle and population growth rate of Caenorhabditis elegans studied by a new methodEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: We found no evidence that adaptation to the laboratory altered the life history traits of C. elegans strain N2. Our results, discussed in the light of earlier studies on C. elegans, demonstrate certain advantages of the hanging drop method in investigations of nematode life cycles. Assuming that its reproducibility is validated in further studies, the method will reduce the inter-laboratory variability of life-history estimates and may ultimately prove to be more convenient than the current standard methods used by C. elegans researchers. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - May 16, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Daniel Muschiol, Fabian Schroeder and Walter Traunspurger Source Type: journals

Life cycle and population growth rate of Caenorhabditis elegansstudied by a new methodEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: We found no evidence that adaptation to the laboratory altered the life history traits of C. elegans strain N2. Our results, discussed in the light of earlier studies on C. elegans, demonstrate certain advantages of the hanging drop method in investigations of nematode life cycles. Assuming that its reproducibility is validated in further studies, the method will reduce the inter-laboratory variability of life-history estimates and may ultimately prove to be more convenient than the current standard methods used by C. elegans researchers. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - May 16, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Daniel MuschiolFabian SchroederWalter Traunspurger Source Type: journals

Tracking the global dispersal of a cosmopolitan insect pest, the peach potato aphid.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The study revealed important genetic variation among the aphid populations we examined and this was partitioned according to region and host-plant. Clonal selection and gene flow between sexual and asexual lineages are important factors shaping the genetic structure of the aphid populations. In addition, the results reflected the globalization of two subspecies of M. persicae with successful clones being spread at various scales throughout the world. A subspecies appears to result from direct selection on tobacco plants. This information highlights the ultimate ability of a polyphagous aphid species to generat...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - May 11, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: John T Margaritopoulos, Louise Kasprowicz, Gaynor L Malloch and Brian Fenton Source Type: journals

Frequency-dependent selection by wild birds promotes polymorphism in model salamandersEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: This experiment demonstrates that frequency-dependent foraging by wild birds can maintain color polymorphism in cryptic prey. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - May 8, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Benjamin M Fitzpatrick, Kim Shook and Reuben Izally Source Type: journals

Within-host competitive exclusion among species of the anther smut pathogenEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: We show evidence that competitive exclusion during infection can be greater among closely related pathogen species than among genotypes within species. This pattern follows from prior studies demonstrating that genetic distance and antagonistic interactions are positively correlated in Microbotryum. Fungal vegetative incompatibility is a likely mechanism of direct competitive interference, and has been shown in some fungi to be effective both within and across species boundaries. For systems where related pathogen species frequently co-occur in the same host populations, these competitive dynamics may substant...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - May 7, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Alexander Gold, Tatiana Giraud and Michael E Hood Source Type: journals

Predation and fragmentation portrayed in the statistical structure of prey time SeriesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: We conclude that statistical second-order autoregressive time series analyses are capable of deciphering intra- and intraspecific interactions and their effect on direct and delayed density dependence. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - May 6, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Ditte K Hendrichsen, Chris J Topping and Mads C Forchhammer Source Type: journals

Do pseudo-absence selection strategies influence species distribution models and their predictions? An information-theoretic approach based on simulated dataEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: If ecologists wish to build parsimonious GLM models that will allow them to make robust predictions, a reasonable approach is to use a large number of randomly selected pseudo-absences, and perform model selection based on an information theoretic approach. However, the resulting models can be expected to have limited explanatory power. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - April 24, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Mary S Wisz and Antoine Guisan Source Type: journals

Resource heterogeneity and foraging behaviour of cattle across spatial scalesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: We conclude that patch size and spacing affect components of intake rate and, to a lesser extent, the selectivity of livestock at lower hierarchies of the grazing process, particularly by enticing livestock to make more even use of the available species as patches are spaced further apart. Thus, modifications in the spatial pattern of plant patches along with reductions in the temporal and spatial allocation of grazing may offer opportunities to improve uniformity of grazing by livestock and help sustain biodiversity and stability of plant communities. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - April 24, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Santiago A Utsumi, Carlos A Cangiano, Julio R Galli, Mary B McEachern, Montague W Demment and Emilio A Laca Source Type: journals

Burrow characteristics of the co-existing sibling species Mus booduga and Mus terricolor and the genetic basis of adaptation to hypoxic/hypercapnic stressEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: The burrows of the chromosomal species M. terricolor I, II & III are the same everywhere which could be due to the recency of their evolutionary divergence and also because of lack of competition for the well-adapted 'microhabitats' as they are non-overlapping in distribution. However, the co-existing sibling species M .booduga and M. terricolor exhibit mutual "exclusion" of the 'microhabitats' for burrow construction. Thus, location, structure and depth of the burrows might have been the contributory factors for selection of alternative alleles at three loci Sod-1, Trf and Hbb, which reflect difference in prob...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - April 9, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Sunita Singh, Nge Cheong, Gopeshwar Narayan and T Sharma Source Type: journals

Troublesome toxins: Time to re-think plant-herbivore interactions in vertebrate ecologyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Earlier models of plant-herbivore interactions relied on forms of functional response that related rates of ingestion by herbivores to mechanical or physical attributes such as bite size and rate. These models fail to predict a growing number of findings that implicate chemical toxins as important determinants of plant-herbivore dynamics. Specifically, considerable evidence suggests that toxins set upper limits on food intake for many species of herbivorous vertebrates. Herbivores feeding on toxin-containing plants must avoid saturating their detoxification systems, which often occurs before ingestion rates are limited by ...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - February 24, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Robert K Swihart, Donald L DeAngelis, Zhilan Feng and John P Bryant Source Type: journals

Livestock grazing intensity affects abundance of Common shrews (Sorex araneus) in two meadows in DenmarkEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: No negative effects of low intensity grazing on Common shrew abundance were found compared to the ungrazed control. Low intensity grazing thus seems a suitable management regime for Common shrews, when grazing is needed as part of the meadow management scheme. High intensity grazing on the other hand is not a suitable management tool. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - January 20, 2009 Category: Biology Authors: Niels M Schmidt, Henrik Olsen and Herwig Leirs Source Type: journals

Fish communities in coastal freshwater ecosystems: the role of the physical and chemical settingEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: The importance of total phosphorus loading and vegetation in structuring fish communities has implications for anthropogenic impacts to embayment fish communities through activities such as farming and residential development, reduction of cultural eutrophication, and shoreline development and maintenance. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - December 29, 2008 Category: Biology Authors: Kristin K Arend and Mark B Bain Source Type: journals

Visual ecology of the Australian lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: The presence of a complex colour vision system based on multiple cone types and intracellular spectral filters in lungfishes suggests that many of the ocular characteristics seen in terrestrial or secondarily aquatic vertebrates, such as birds and turtles, may have evolved in shallow water prior to the transition onto land. Moreover, the benefits of spectral filters for colour discrimination apply equally to purely aquatic species as well as semi-aquatic and terrestrial animals. The visual system of the Australian lungfish resembles that of terrestrial vertebrates far more closely than that of other sarcopteryg...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - December 18, 2008 Category: Biology Authors: Nathan S Hart, Helena J Bailes, Misha Vorobyev, N JUSTIN Marshall and Shaun P Collin Source Type: journals

Competition between the invasive macrophyte Caulerpa taxifolia and the seagrass Posidonia oceanica: contrasting strategiesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Plant defense strategy is usually a result of trade-offs between growth and differentiation (i.e. Optimal Defense Theory - ODT, Growth Differentiation Balance hypothesis - GDB, Plant Apparency Theory - PAT). Interaction between the introduced green alga Caulerpa taxifolia and the endemic seagrass Posidonia oceanica in the Mediterranean Sea offers the opportunity to investigate the plausibility of these theories. We have accordingly investigated defense metabolite content and growth year-round, on the basis of an interaction gradient. When in competition with P. oceanica, C. taxifolia exhibits increased frond length and de...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - December 11, 2008 Category: Biology Authors: Gerard Pergent, Charles-Francois Boudouresque, Olivier Dumay, Christine Pergent-Martini and Sandy Wyllie-Echeverria Source Type: journals

Interactions between herbivory and warming in aboveground biomass production of arctic vegetationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Although inconclusive, our results were likely constrained by the overwhelming influence of an unexpected caterpillar outbreak on aboveground biomass. It is likely that the role of large vertebrate herbivores in vegetation response to warming will become more evident as this experiment proceeds and the plant community recovers from the caterpillar outbreak. Due to the greater influence of invertebrate herbivory in this study, it is advisable to consider both the effect of invertebrate and vertebrate herbivores in studies investigating climate change effects on plant communities. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - October 22, 2008 Category: Biology Authors: Christian Pedersen and Eric Post Source Type: journals

Genetic variation in the invasive avian parasite, Philornis downsi (Diptera, Muscidae) on the Galápagos archipelagoEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Philornis downsi populations have high connectivity within and between islands, with low levels of genetic differentiation between Floreana and the other two islands examined. The genetic bottleneck found across islands suggests there was a small founding population or few introduction events of P. downsi. The high dispersal capacity and wide habitat use of P. downsi highlights the significant threat that this parasite poses to the Galápagos avifauna. Our findings are relevant for assessing the viability of methods to control P. downsi on Galápagos, such as the sterile insect technique. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - July 31, 2008 Category: Biology Authors: Rachael Y Dudaniec, Michael G Gardner, Steve Donnellan and Sonia Kleindorfer Source Type: journals

To what extent does Tobler's 1st law of geography apply to macroecology? A case study using American palms (Arecaceae)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Species composition exhibited a strong geographic distance decay which agrees with Tobler's first law of geography. In contrast, species richness did not exhibit consistent similarity distance decay, especially not at larger scale. Therefore, the degree to which Tobler's first law of geography applies to community structure depends on which aspect hereof is considered - species composition or species richness. Environmentally complex or geographically fragmented regions exhibited strongest distance decays. We conclude that Tobler's law may be most applicable when dispersal is a strong determinant of spatial tu...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - May 22, 2008 Category: Biology Authors: Stine Bjorholm, Jens-Christian Svenning, Flemming Skov and Henrik Balslev Source Type: journals

The influence of weather conditions on the activity of high-arctic arthropods inferred from long-term observationsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Consistent with previous findings, air temperature best explained variation in the activity level of flying insects. An advancement of the phenology in this group due to earlier snowmelt will make individuals appear earlier in the season, but parallel temperature increases could mean that individuals are exposed to similar temperatures. Hence, the effect of climatic changes on the activity pattern in this group may be unchanged. In contrast, we found that solar radiation is a better proxy of activity levels than air temperature in surface-dwelling arthropods. An advancement of the phenology may expose surface-...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - May 2, 2008 Category: Biology Authors: Toke T Hoye and Mads C Forchhammer Source Type: journals

Assessing meiofaunal variation among individuals utilising morphological and molecular approaches: an example using the TardigradaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Molecular results obtained from individuals, rather than pooled samples, are a prerequisite to enable levels of variation to be placed into context. In this study we have provided a proof of principle of this approach for meiofaunal tardigrades, an important group of soil biota previously not considered amenable to such studies, thereby paving the way for more comprehensive phylogenetic studies using multiple nuclear markers, and population genetic studies. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - April 30, 2008 Category: Biology Authors: Chester J Sands, Peter Convey, Katrin Linse and Sandra J McInnes Source Type: journals

Effects of intraspecific competition on the life cycle of the stonefly, Nemurella pictetii (Plecoptera: Nemouridae)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Differences in life cycle length of Nemurella pictetii may result from different larval densities in different microhabitats and resultant different degrees of interference competition. Although competition alone probably does not cause splitting of populations into cohorts with different life cycle duration differences in size and development caused by other factors are certainly enhanced by intraspecific competition. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - April 16, 2008 Category: Biology Authors: Reimo Lieske and Peter Zwick Source Type: journals

Effects of simulated daily precipitation patterns on annual plant populations depend on life stage and climatic regionEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: More rainstorms (greater DMR) increased the recharge of soil water reservoirs in more arid sites with consequences for germination, establishment, productivity, and population persistence. The order of magnitudes of DMR and MAP overlapped partially so that their combined effect is important for projections of climate change effects on annual vegetation. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - March 27, 2008 Category: Biology Authors: Martin Koechy Source Type: journals

Microsatellite data suggest significant population structure and differentiation within the malaria vector Anopheles darlingi in Central and South AmericaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: We detected a large amount of population structure in Amazonia, with three population clusters within Brazil and one including the Peru populations. The considerable differences in Ne among the populations may have contributed to the observed genetic differentiation. All of the data suggest that the primary division within A. darlingi corresponds to two white gene genotypes between Amazonia (genotype 1) and Central America, parts of Colombia and Venezuela (genotype 2), and are in agreement with mitochondrial COI gene sequences interpreted as incipient species. Overall, it appears that two main factors have con...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - March 26, 2008 Category: Biology Authors: Lisa Mirabello, Joseph H. Vineis, Stephen P. Yanoviak, Vera M. Scarpassa, Marinete M. Povoa, Norma Padilla, Nicole L. Achee and Jan E. Conn Source Type: journals

Adaptive dynamic resource allocation in annual eusocial insects: Environmental variation will not necessarily promote graded controlEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Up to now bet-hedging as an evolutionary response to variation in season length has been the main argument to explain field observations of graded resource allocation in annual eusocial insect species. However, our model shows that the effect of moderate fluctuations of environmental conditions does not select for deviation from the classical bang-bang strategy and that the evolution of graded allocation strategies can be triggered only by extreme fluctuations. Detailed quantitative observations on resource allocation in eusocial insects are needed to analyse the relevance of alternative explanations, e.g. log...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - December 19, 2007 Category: Biology Authors: Oliver Mitesser, Norbert Weissel, Erhard Strohm and Hans-Joachim Poethke Source Type: journals

Relative effects of mammal herbivory and plant spacing on seedling recruitment following fire and miningEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Herbivory, rather than seedling competition, was the limiting factor for plant performance among post-fire and post-mined reclamation areas. The post-fire seedlings were smaller and more water and nutrient limited, nevertheless browsing prevalence was equivalent at all locations with nearly all seedlings predated. Kangaroo density in the post-fire community declined from the beginning of the experiment, while those in the post-mined revegetation increased fourfold within one year. Differences in water and nutrient availability may explain why herbivores are more likely to be attracted to post-mined communities...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - October 29, 2007 Category: Biology Authors: Michael H Parsons, Christine M Rafferty, Byron B Lamont, Kenneth Dods and Meredith M Fairbanks Source Type: journals

Adaptive behavioural syndromes due to strategic niche specializationEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that the three behaviours we measured are part of behavioural syndromes. These may be adaptive, in that they reflect strategic specialization of helpers into one of two different life history strategies, namely (a) to stay and help in the home territory in order to inherit the breeding position or (b) to disperse early in order to breed independently. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - October 12, 2007 Category: Biology Authors: Ralph Bergmuller and Michael Taborsky Source Type: journals

The odor of origin: kinship and geographical distance are reflected in the marking pheromone of male beewolves (Philanthus triangulum F., Hymenoptera, Crabronidae)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Our results show that male sex pheromones can contain information on both kinship and geographical origin that may be used by females to choose adaptively among potential mates on the basis of their genetic distance. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - October 10, 2007 Category: Biology Authors: Martin Kaltenpoth, Johannes Kroiss and Erhard Strohm Source Type: journals

A database of schemes that prioritize sites and species based on their conservation value: focusing business on biodiversityEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Companies can proceed by first avoiding, reducing, and mitigating impacts, and then using existing schemes to identify i) no-go areas and ii) appropriate offsets to compensate for any unavoidable loss in biodiversity. If existing schemes are inadequate, then companies should use integrated conservation planning techniques to define offset options within the region of their operations. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - September 27, 2007 Category: Biology Authors: Arthur G Blundell and Tormod V Burkey Source Type: journals

Spectral measures and mixed models as valuable tools for investigating controls on land surface phenology in high arctic GreenlandEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: We conclude that the uses of GAMMs are valuable for investigating growth dynamics in the Arctic. Contrary to several other studies in the Arctic we found a significant decreasing trend of the seasonally integrated NDVI-FR (SINDVI) in some vegetation types. This indicates that although greening might occur wide-spread in the Arctic there are variations on the local scale that might influence the regional trends on the longer term. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - September 19, 2007 Category: Biology Authors: Mikkel P Tamstorf, Lotte Illeris, Birger U Hansen and Mary Wisz Source Type: journals

Feeding ecology of elasmobranch fishes in coastal waters of the Colombian Eastern Tropical PacificEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Shrimps (Penaeidae and stomatopods) and benthic fishes were the most important food types in the diet of the elasmobranch species studied. Diet breadth and overlap were relatively low. Determination of food resource partitioning among the batoid species studied was not possible. However, we identified partitions in other niche axes (time of feeding activity and habitat utilization). It is possible to assume that diffuse competition could be exceeding the biunivocal competition among the studied species. Therefore, this assemblage would have a strong tendency to trophic guild formation. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - September 18, 2007 Category: Biology Authors: Andres F Navia, Paola A Mejia-Falla and Alan Giraldo Source Type: journals

The importance of comparative phylogeography in diagnosing introduced species: A lesson from the seal salamander, Desmognathus monticolaEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Background: In most regions of the world human influences on the distribution of flora and fauna predate complete biotic surveys. In some cases this challenges our ability to discriminate native from introduced species. This distinction is particularly critical for isolated populations, because relicts of native species may need to be conserved, whereas introduced species may require immediate eradication. Recently an isolated population of seal salamanders, Desmognathus monticola, was discovered on the Ozark Plateau, ~700 km west of its broad continuous distribution in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America. U...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - September 7, 2007 Category: Biology Authors: Ronald M Bonett, Kenneth H Kozak, David R Vieites, Alison Bare, Jessica A Wooten and Stanley E Trauth Source Type: journals

Phenols content and 2-D electrophoresis protein pattern:a promising tool to monitor Posidonia meadows health stateEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Posidonia showed phenols variations within the meadow, that probably reflect the heterogeneity of environmental pressures. In addition, comparison of the 2-D electrophoresis patterns allowed to highlight qualitative protein expression differences in response to these pressures. These differences may account for changes in metabolic/physiological pathways as adaptation to stress. A combined approach, based on phenols content determination and 2-D electrophoresis protein pattern, seems a promising tool to monitor Posidonia meadows health state. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - July 30, 2007 Category: Biology Authors: Luciana Migliore, Alice Rotini, Davide Randazzo, Nadia N Albanese and Agata Giallongo Source Type: journals

Correspondence regarding 'Clouded leopards, the secretive top-carnivore of South-East Asian rainforests: their distribution, status and conservation needs in Sabah, Malaysia'Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Correspondence regarding Wilting A, Fischer F, Bakar SA, Linsenmair KE: Clouded leopards, the secretive top-carnivore of South-East Asian rainforests: their distribution, status and conservation needs in Sabah, Malaysia. BMC Ecol 2006, 6:16. Wilting et al. have provided their response to Gordon et al., directly following the correspondence. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - July 2, 2007 Category: Biology Authors: Chris H Gordon, Anne-Marie E Stewart and Erik Meijaard Source Type: journals

Complex interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of long-term survival trends in southern elephant sealsEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Our analyses revealed that both the state of the environment and population density combine to modify juvenile survival, but that the degree to which these processes contributed to the variation observed was interactive and complex. This underlines the importance of evaluating the relative contribution of both the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that regulate animal populations because false conclusions regarding the importance of population regulation may be reached if they are examined in isolation. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - March 27, 2007 Category: Biology Authors: Siobhan C. de Little, Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Clive R. McMahon and Mark A. Hindell Source Type: journals

Giant Galapagos tortoises; molecular genetic analyses identify a trans-island hybrid in a repatriation program of an endangered taxonEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusions: Removal of E1465 as well as its father and possible (half-)siblings is warranted to prevent further contamination within this taxon of particular conservation significance. Despite this detected single contamination, it is highly noteworthy to emphasize the success of this repatriation program conducted over nearly 40 years and involving release of over 2000 captive-bred tortoises that now reproduce in situ. The incorporation of molecular genetic analysis of the program is providing guidance that will aid in monitoring the genetic integrity of this ambitious effort to restore a unique linage of a spectacular a...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - February 15, 2007 Category: Biology Authors: Michel C Milinkovitch, Daniel Monteyne, Michael Russello, James P Gibbs, Howard L Snell, Washington Tapia, Cruz Marquez, Adalgisa Caccone and Jeffrey R Powell Source Type: journals

Giant Galápagos tortoises; molecular genetic analyses identify a trans-island hybrid in a repatriation program of an endangered taxonEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Removal of E1465 as well as its father and possible (half-)siblings is warranted to prevent further contamination within this taxon of particular conservation significance. Despite this detected single contamination, it is highly noteworthy to emphasize the success of this repatriation program conducted over nearly 40 years and involving release of over 2000 captive-bred tortoises that now reproduce in situ. The incorporation of molecular genetic analysis of the program is providing guidance that will aid in monitoring the genetic integrity of this ambitious effort to restore a unique linage of a spectacular an...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - February 15, 2007 Category: Biology Authors: Michel C Milinkovitch, Daniel Monteyne, Michael Russello, James P Gibbs, Howard L Snell, Washington Tapia, Cruz Marquez, Adalgisa Caccone and Jeffrey R Powell Source Type: journals

Long-term feeding ecology and habitat use in harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena from Scandinavian waters inferred from trace elements and stable isotopesEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: As stable isotopes and Cd provide information in the medium and the long term respectively, the spatial variation found, shows that harbour porpoises experience different ecological regimes during the year along the Scandinavian coasts, adapting their feeding habits to local oceanographic conditions, without performing extensive migration. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - January 17, 2007 Category: Biology Authors: Michael C Fontaine, Krystal A Tolley, Ursula Siebert, Sylvie Gobert, Gilles Lepoint, Jean-Marie Bouquegneau and Krishna Das Source Type: journals

Age-dependent induction of immunity and subsequent survival costs in males and females of a temperate damselflyEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Reduced longevity following induction of immunity was observed for reproductively mature damselflies, but not for newly emerged damselflies. Costs of resistance depend only partly on the immune trait induced and more on the age (but not sex) of the host. In four years, we often observed bouts of inclement weather following good days and these bouts occurred primarily during the emergence periods, but also during the flight periods, of E. boreale. The duration of these bouts appear sufficient to compromise survival of mature damselflies that responded immunologically to LPS challenge. We further suggest the envi...
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - November 7, 2006 Category: Biology Authors: Tonia Robb and Mark R Forbes Source Type: journals

Detecting local establishment strategies of wild cherry (Prunus avium L.)Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: This study provides useful guidelines for more comprehensive investigations, particularly on the interrelationships between degrees of cloning and capacity of sexual reproduction, amounts of multilocus gene associations, effects of heterozygosity on cloning success, and sustainability of different forest management types. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - October 4, 2006 Category: Biology Authors: Aki M Höltken and Hans-Rolf Gregorius Source Type: journals

Trace metal concentrations in Posidonia oceanica of North Corsica (northwestern Mediterranean Sea): use as a biological monitor?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: Leaves of P. oceanica can give an indication of the metal concentration in the environment over a short time period (months) with good accuracy. On the contrary, sheaths, which gave an indication of changes over long time periods (decades), seem to be less sensitive to variations in the metal concentration in the environment. Changes in human consumption of metals (e.g., the reduction of Pb in fuel) are clearly reflected in both organs. These results confirm that P. oceanica is a good bioindicator of metals and a good biomonitor species for assessing Cu in the environment. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - September 11, 2006 Category: Biology Authors: Marc Gosselin, Jean-Marie Bouquegneau, Frédéric Lefèbvre, Gilles Lepoint, Gerard Pergent, Christine Pergent-Martini and Sylvie Gobert Source Type: journals

Phenology of marine turtle nesting revealed by statistical model of the nesting seasonEmail this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Conclusion: The model proposed here offers a variety of uses for both marine turtles and also other taxa when individuals are observed in a particular location for only part of the year. (Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles)
Source: BMC Ecology - Latest articles - August 31, 2006 Category: Biology Authors: Marc Girondot, Philippe Rivalan, Ronald Wongsopawiro, Jean-Paul Briane, Vincent Hulin, Stéphane Caut, Elodie Guirlet and Matthew H Godfrey Source Type: journals