2

Determinants of genetic diversity and species richness of North American amphibians

Aim Ecological limits on population sizes and the number of species a region can sustain are thought to simultaneously produce spatial patterns in population genetic diversity and species richness due to the effects of random drift operating in …

An appraisal of graph embeddings for comparing trophic network architectures

Comparing the architecture of interaction networks in space or time is essential for understanding the assembly, trajectory, functioning and persistence of species communities. Graph embedding methods, which position networks into a vector space …

Editorial: Advances in Statistical Ecology: New Methods and Software

Genetic and species‐level biodiversity patterns are linked by demography and ecological opportunity

The processes that give rise to species richness gradients are not well understood, but may be linked to resource-based limits on the number of species a region can support. Ecological limits placed on regional species richness should also affect …

Overcoming the Spurious Groups Problem in Between-Group PCA

Several papers have recently raised the occurrence of some problems with between-group Principal Component Analysis (bgPCA). This method inflates the differences between the groups, and can even display completely artificial differences when none …

Long‐term high densities of African elephants clear the understorey and promote a new stable savanna woodland community

Questions Species defined as ecosystem engineers (e.g. elephant) are able to strongly shape their habitat. In African savannas, elephants have often been shown to reduce woody-plant abundance and diversity. However, recent studies highlight more …

Are human natal sex ratio differences across the world adaptive? A test of Fisher's principle

Fisher's principle states that natural selection favours an equal number of male and female births at the population level, unless there are sex differences in rearing costs or sex differences in mortality before the end of the period of parental …

Images, écologie et deep learning

Can an herbivore affect where a top predator kills its prey by modifying woody vegetation structure?

In large mammal communities, little is known about modification of interspecific interactions through habitat structure changes. We assessed the effects of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) on features of woody habitat structure that can affect …

Flower phenology as a disruptor of the fruiting dynamics in temperate oak species

Many perennial plants display masting, that is, fruiting with strong interannual variations, irregular and synchronized between trees within the population. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the early flower phenology in temperate oak species …