| 1. |
- Bommarco, Riccardo
(author)
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Ecological Intensification: Bridging the Gap between Science and Practice
- 2019
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In: Trends in ecology & evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 34, s. 154-166
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is worldwide concern about the environmental costs of conventional intensification of agriculture. Growing evidence suggests that ecological intensification of mainstream farming can safeguard food production, with accompanying environmental benefits; however, the approach is rarely adopted by farmers. Our review of the evidence for replacing external inputs with ecosystem services shows that scientists tend to focus on processes (e.g., pollination) rather than outcomes (e.g., profits), and express benefits at spatio-temporal scales that are not always relevant to farmers. This results in mismatches in perceived benefits of ecological intensification between scientists and farmers, which hinders its uptake. We provide recommendations for overcoming these mismatches and highlight important additional factors driving uptake of nature based management practices, such as social acceptability of farming.
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| 2. |
- Balint, Miklos, et al.
(author)
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Environmental DNA time series in ecology
- 2018
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In: Trends in Ecology & Evolution. - London : Elsevier. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 33:12, s. 945-957
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ecological communities change in time and space, but long-term dynamics at the century-to-millennia scale are poorly documented due to lack of relevant data sets. Nevertheless, understanding long-term dynamics is important for explaining present-day biodiversity patterns and placing conservation goals in a historical context. Here, we use recent examples and new perspectives to highlight how environmental DNA (eDNA) is starting to provide a powerful new source of temporal data for research questions that have so far been overlooked, by helping to resolve the ecological dynamics of populations, communities, and ecosystems over hundreds to thousands of years. We give examples of hypotheses that may be addressed by temporal eDNA biodiversity data, discuss possible research directions, and outline related challenges.
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| 3. |
- Berggren, Åsa, et al.
(author)
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Approaching Ecological Sustainability in the Emerging Insects-as-Food Industry
- 2019
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In: Trends in ecology & evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 34, s. 132-138
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The emerging insects-as-food industry is increasingly promoted as a sustainable alternative to other animal protein production systems. However, the exact nature of its environmental benefits are uncertain because of the overwhelming lack of knowledge concerning almost every aspect of production: from suitable species, their housing and feed requirements, and potential for accidental release. If ecological sustainability is to be a hallmark of mass insect rearing for consumption, ecologists need to engage in research related to sustainability criteria that are directly linked to key elements of the development of the industry. There is more to this subject than simply comparing feed-conversion ratios (FCRs) of insects to traditional livestock production, and we highlight areas where research needs to be immediately focused.
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| 4. |
- Björklund, Mats
(author)
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Lamarck, the Father of Evolutionary Ecology?
- 2019
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In: Trends in Ecology & Evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 34:10, s. 874-875
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Lamarck realized life had evolved from simple to more complex forms, due to adaptation to a changing environment over time. Though he was wrong in many details, he got the overall picture right. Thus, he can be seen as the first evolutionary ecologist, connecting evolutionary change in organisms to their environment.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Bohan, A, et al.
(author)
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Networking our way to better Ecosystem Service provision
- 2016
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In: Trends in Ecology & Evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 1872-8383 .- 0169-5347. ; 31:2, s. 105-115
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The ecosystem services (EcoS) concept is being used increasingly to attach values to natural systems and the multiple benefits they provide to human societies. Ecosystem processes or functions only become EcoS if they are shown to have social and/or economic value. This should assure an explicit connection between the natural and social sciences, but EcoS approaches have been criticized for retaining little natural science. Preserving the natural, ecological science context within EcoS research is challenging because the multiple disciplines involved have very different traditions and vocabularies (common-language challenge) and span many organizational levels and temporal and spatial scales (scale challenge) that define the relevant interacting entities (interaction challenge). We propose a network-based approach to transcend these discipline challenges and place the natural science context at the heart of EcoS research.
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| 7. |
- Chapron, Guillaume
(author)
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A Final Warning to Planet Earth
- 2018
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In: Trends in ecology & evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 33, s. 651-652
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Other publication (peer-reviewed)
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| 8. |
- Chapron, Guillaume, et al.
(author)
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Coexistence with Large Carnivores Informed by Community Ecology
- 2016
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In: Trends in ecology & evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 31, s. 578-580
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Other publication (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Conserving predators on an increasingly crowded planet brings very difficult challenges. Here, we argue that community ecology theory can help conserve these species in human-dominated landscapes. Letting humans and predators share the same landscapes is similar to maintaining a community of predatory species, one of which is humans.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
- Cumming, Graeme S., et al.
(author)
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Unifying Research on Social-Ecological Resilience and Collapse
- 2017
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In: Trends in Ecology & Evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 32:9, s. 695-713
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ecosystems influence human societies, leading people to manage ecosystems for human benefit. Poor environmental management can lead to reduced ecological resilience and social-ecological collapse. We review research on resilience and collapse across different systems and propose a unifying social-ecological framework based on (i) a clear definition of system identity; (ii) the use of quantitative thresholds to define collapse; (iii) relating collapse processes to system structure; and (iv) explicit comparison of alternative hypotheses and models of collapse. Analysis of 17 representative cases identified 14 mechanisms, in five classes, that explain social-ecological collapse. System structure influences the kind of collapse a system may experience. Mechanistic theories of collapse that unite structure and process can make fundamental contributions to solving global environmental problems.
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| 12. |
- Dall, Sasha R. X., et al.
(author)
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Genes as cues : phenotypic integration of genetic and epigenetic information from a Darwinian perspective
- 2015
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In: Trends in Ecology & Evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 30:6, s. 327-333
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The development of multicellular organisms involves a delicate interplay between genetic and environmental influences. It is often useful to think of developmental systems as integrating available sources of information about current conditions to produce organisms. Genes and inherited physiology provide cues, as does the state of the environment during development. The integration systems themselves are under genetic control and subject to Darwinian selection, so we expect them to evolve to produce organisms that fit well with current ecological (including social) conditions. We argue for the scientific value of this explicitly informational perspective by providing detailed examples of how it can elucidate taxonomically diverse phenomena. We also present a general framework for linking genetic and phenotypic variation from an informational perspective. This application of Darwinian logic at the organismal level can elucidate genetic influences on phenotypic variation in novel and counterintuitive ways.
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| 13. |
- Dee, Laura E., et al.
(author)
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Operationalizing Network Theory for Ecosystem Service Assessments
- 2017
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In: Trends in Ecology & Evolution. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE LONDON. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 32:2, s. 118-130
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Managing ecosystems to provide ecosystem services in the face of global change is a pressing challenge for policy and science. Predicting how alternative management actions and changing future conditions will alter services is complicated by interactions among components in ecological and socioeconomic systems. Failure to understand those interactions can lead to detrimental outcomes from management decisions. Network theory that integrates ecological and socioeconomic systems may provide a path to meeting this challenge. While network theory offers promising approaches to examine ecosystem services, few studies have identified how to operationalize networks for managing and assessing diverse ecosystem services. We propose a framework for how to use networks to assess how drivers and management actions will directly and indirectly alter ecosystem services.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Estrada, Alba, et al.
(author)
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Usefulness of Species Traits in Predicting Range Shifts.
- 2016
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In: Trends in Ecology & Evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 1872-8383 .- 0169-5347.
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Information on the ecological traits of species might improve predictions of climate-driven range shifts. However, the usefulness of traits is usually assumed rather than quantified. Here, we present a framework to identify the most informative traits, based on four key range-shift processes: emigration of individuals or propagules away from the natal location; the distance a species can move; establishment of self-sustaining populations; and proliferation following establishment. We propose a framework that categorises traits according to their contribution to range-shift processes. We demonstrate how the framework enables the predictive value of traits to be evaluated empirically and how this categorisation can be used to better understand range-shift processes; we also illustrate how range-shift estimates can be improved.
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| 16. |
- Estrela, Sylvie, et al.
(author)
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Environmentally Mediated Social Dilemmas
- 2019
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In: Trends in Ecology & Evolution. - : Elsevier. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 34:1, s. 6-18
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- By consuming and producing environmental resources, organisms inevitably change their habitats. The consequences of such environmental modifications can be detrimental or beneficial not only to the focal organism but also to other organisms sharing the same environment. Social evolution theory has been very influential in studying how social interactions mediated by public 'goods' or 'bads' evolve by emphasizing the role of spatial structure. The environmental dimensions driving these interactions, however, are typically abstracted away. We propose here a new, environment-mediated taxonomy of social behaviors where organisms are categorized by their production or consumption of environmental factors that can help or harm others in the environment. We discuss microbial examples of our classification and highlight the importance of environmental intermediates more generally.
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| 17. |
- Fischer, Joern, et al.
(author)
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Reframing the Food-Biodiversity Challenge
- 2017
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In: Trends in Ecology & Evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 32:5, s. 335-345
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Given the serious limitations of production-oriented frameworks, we offer here a new conceptual framework for how to analyze the nexus of food security and biodiversity conservation. We introduce four archetypes of social-ecological system states corresponding to win-win (e.g., agroecology), win-lose (e.g., intensive agriculture), lose-win (e.g., fortress conservation), and lose-lose (e.g., degraded landscapes) outcomes for food security and biodiversity conservation. Each archetype is shaped by characteristic external drivers, exhibits characteristic internal social-ecological features, and has characteristic feedbacks that maintain it. This framework shifts the emphasis from focusing on production only to considering social-ecological dynamics, and enables comparison among landscapes. Moreover, examining drivers and feedbacks facilitates the analysis of possible transitions between system states (e.g., from a lose-lose outcome to a more preferred outcome).
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
- Frainer, André, et al.
(author)
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Parasitism and the Biodiversity-Functioning Relationship
- 2018
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In: Trends in ecology & evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 33, s. 260-268
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Species interactions can influence ecosystem functioning by enhancing or suppressing the activities of species that drive ecosystem processes, or by causing changes in biodiversity. However, one important class of species interactions - parasitism - has been little considered in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BD-EF) research. Parasites might increase or decrease ecosystem processes by reducing host abundance. Parasites could also increase trait diversity by suppressing dominant species or by increasing within-host trait diversity. These different mechanisms by which parasites might affect ecosystem function pose challenges in predicting their net effects. Nonetheless, given the ubiquity of parasites, we propose that parasite-host interactions should be incorporated into the BD-EF framework.
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| 20. |
- Frost, Carol, et al.
(author)
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Using Network Theory to Understand and Predict Biological Invasions
- 2019
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In: Trends in ecology & evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 34, s. 831-843
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Understanding and predicting biological invasions is challenging because of the complexity of many interacting players. A holistic approach is needed with the potential to simultaneously consider all relevant effects and effectors. Using networks to describe the relevant anthropogenic and ecological factors, from community-level to global scales, promises advances in understanding aspects of invasion from propagule pressure, through establishment, spread, and ecological impact of invaders. These insights could lead to development of new tools for prevention and management of invasions that are based on species' network characteristics and use of networks to predict the ecological effects of invaders. Here, we review the findings from network ecology that show the most promise for invasion biology and identify pressing needs for future research.
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
- Galaz, Victor, et al.
(author)
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Why Ecologists Should Care about Financial Markets
- 2015
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In: Trends in Ecology & Evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 30:10, s. 571-580
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Financial actors such as international banks and investors play an important role in the global economy. This role is shifting due to financial innovations, increased sustainability ambitions from large financial actors, and changes in international commodity markets. These changes are creating new global connections that potentially make financial markets, actors, and instruments important aspects of global environmental change. Despite this, the way financial markets and actors affect ecosystem change in different parts of the world has seldom been elaborated in the literature. We summarize these financial trends, explore how they connect to ecosystems and ecological change in both direct and indirect ways, and elaborate on crucial research gaps.
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| 23. |
- Gering, Eben, et al.
(author)
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Getting Back to Nature: Feralization in Animals and Plants
- 2019
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In: Trends in Ecology & Evolution. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE LONDON. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 34:12, s. 1137-1151
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Formerly domesticated organisms and artificially selected genes often escape controlled cultivation, but their subsequent evolution is not well studied. In this review, we examine plant and animal feralization through an evolutionary lens, including how natural selection, artificial selection, and gene flow shape feral genomes, traits, and fitness. Available evidence shows that feralization is not a mere reversal of domestication. Instead, it is shaped by the varied and complex histories of feral populations, and by novel selection pressures. To stimulate further insight we outline several future directions. These include testing how domestication genes act in wild settings, studying the brains and behaviors of feral animals, and comparative analyses of feral populations and taxa. This work offers feasible and exciting research opportunities with both theoretical and practical applications.
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| 24. |
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| 25. |
- Kardol, Paul
(author)
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Plant-Soil Feedback: Bridging Natural and Agricultural Sciences
- 2018
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In: Trends in ecology & evolution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5347 .- 1872-8383. ; 33, s. 129-142
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In agricultural and natural systems researchers have demonstrated large effects of plant-soil feedback (PSF) on plant growth. However, the concepts and approaches used in these two types of systems have developed, for the most part, independently. Here, we present a conceptual framework that integrates knowledge and approaches from these two contrasting systems. We use this integrated framework to demonstrate (i) how knowledge from complex natural systems can be used to increase agricultural resource-use efficiency and productivity and (ii) how research in agricultural systems can be used to test hypotheses and approaches developed in natural systems. Using this framework, we discuss avenues for new research toward an ecologically sustainable and climate-smart future.
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