Preface to the Princeton Landmarks in Biology Edition vii Preface xi Symbols Used xiii 1. The Importance of Islands 3 2. Area and Number of Speicies 8 3. Further Explanations of the Area-Diversity Pattern 19 4. The Strategy of Colonization 68 5. Invasibility and the Variable Niche 94 6. Stepping Stones and Biotic Exchange 123 7. Evolutionary Changes Following Colonization 145 8. Prospect 181 Glossary 185 References 193 Index 201

The Theory of Island Biogeography

Statistics for Spatial Data.

Genetics and analysis of quantitative traits

Climate change 2014 - Synthesis Report

Recent studies suggest that populations and species often exhibit behavioral syndromes; that is, suites of correlated behaviors across situations. An example is an aggression syndrome where some individuals are more aggressive, whereas others are less aggressive across a range of situations and contexts. The existence of behavioral syndromes focuses the attention of behavioral ecologists on limited (less than optimal) behavioral plasticity and behavioral carryovers across situations, rather than on optimal plasticity in each isolated situation. Behavioral syndromes can explain behaviors that appear strikingly non-adaptive in an isolated context (e.g. inappropriately high activity when predators are present, or excessive sexual cannibalism). Behavioral syndromes can also help to explain the maintenance of individual variation in behavioral types, a phenomenon that is ubiquitous, but often ignored. Recent studies suggest that the behavioral type of an individual, population or species can have important ecological and evolutionary implications, including major effects on species distributions, on the relative tendencies of species to be invasive or to respond well to environmental change, and on speciation rates. Although most studies of behavioral syndromes to date have focused on a few organisms, mainly in the laboratory, further work on other species, particularly in the field, should yield numerous new insights.

/pdf/behavioral-syndromes-an-ecological-and-evolutionary-overview-53ct6xj1u3.pdf

Behavioral syndromes: an ecological and evolutionary overview.

Invasion success and tolerance to urbanization in birds

When it comes to the brain, bigger is generally considered better in terms of cognitive performance. While this notion is supported by studies of birds and primates showing that larger brains impro...

/pdf/brain-size-predicts-learning-abilities-in-bees-4atj7gmhyy.pdf

Brain size predicts learning abilities in bees

Biological invasions pose one of the most severe environmental challenges of the twenty-first century. A longstanding idea is that invasion risk is predictable based on the phylogenetic distance - and hence ecological resemblance - between non-native and native species. However, current evidence is contradictory. To explain these mixed results, it has been proposed that the effect is scale-dependent, with invasion inhibited by phylogenetic similarity at small spatial scales but enhanced at larger scales. Analyzing invasion outcomes in a global sample of bird communities, we find no evidence to support this hypothesis. Instead, our results suggest that invaders are locally more successful in the presence of closely related and ecologically similar species, at least in human-altered environments where the majority of invasions have occurred. Functional trait analyses further confirm that the ecological niches of invaders are phylogenetically conserved, supporting the notion that successful invasion in the presence of close relatives is driven by shared adaptations to the types of niches available in novel environments.

A test of Darwin's naturalization conundrum in birds reveals enhanced invasion success in the presence of close relatives.

https://dspace.library.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/1874/11451/reader_05-comparing-cognition-across-species.pdf?sequence=2

Comparing cognition across species

This article, in reviewing the long- running US debate on speed limits, illustrates how a different valuation of the trade-off between private mobility needs and safety concerns can shape transport policies. It is argued that the regulatory decentralization debate, together with the speed limit in force in each state, obey the social preferences and valuation given to this trade- off. Such a view is consistent with evidence that higher speed limits are to be found in states with greater private mobility needs, even though their fatality rates might be among the highest in the country. By contrast, lower speed limits and supporters of a low national speed limit are to be found in states that show a greater concern for safety outcomes and which are less dependent on private mobility. By reviewing these events and examining the role played by the main actors and analyzing their motivations, the article identifies important lessons for similar future discussions on transport policy.

/pdf/social-preferences-and-transport-policy-the-case-of-us-speed-3kq4u85ebu.pdf

Daniel Sol

Papers

Invasion success and tolerance to urbanization in birds

Brain size predicts learning abilities in bees

A test of Darwin's naturalization conundrum in birds reveals enhanced invasion success in the presence of close relatives.

Comparing cognition across species

Social Preferences and Transport Policy: The case of US speed limits