In 2000, Jonathan Levine published a paper in Science reporting the results of a field experiment that showed that the impact of species diversity on invasive diversity depends on spatial scale. At small scales, the removal of species reduces invasion resistance, but at community-wide scales, the...
Ecology
Revisiting Clutton-Brock and Harvey 1977
In 1977, Tim Clutton-Brock and Paul Harvey published a paper in the Journal of Zoology reporting the results of their comparative analysis of the ecology and social organization of 100 primate species. This study was probably the first to statistically account for the non-independence of data as a...
Revisiting Coley 1983
In 1983, Phyllis Coley published a paper in Ecological Monographs reporting the results of her survey of herbivory and defense traits of rainforest tree species on the Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama. Based on the findings of her survey, Coley proposed a new model for the evolution of plant...
Revisiting Perrins 1965
In 1965, Christopher Perrins published a paper in the Journal of Animal Ecology, reporting the results of his study on the population biology of the Great Tit in Wytham Woods, a site made famous by the work initiated by David Lack, Christopher Perrin's PhD supervisor. Fifty-one years after the...
Revisiting Hector et al. 1999
In a paper published in Science in 1999, Andrew Hector and a team of collaborators reported the results of an experiment, replicated in eight European field sites, that showed that loss of plant species diversity leads to reduced above-ground plant biomass. Seventeen years after the paper was...
Revisiting Dayton 1971
In 1971, Paul Dayton published a paper in Ecological Monographs providing experimental evidence for the role of physical and biological disturbances, as well as competition, in influencing an intertidal community off the west coast of USA. Forty-five years after the paper was published, I spoke to...
Revisiting Chesson 2000
In a paper in The Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics in 2000, Peter Chesson attempted to “tame” the wide array of models and ideas about species diversity maintenance, especially in the context of species coexistence in local communities. Chesson’s paper went on to become a...
Revisiting Estes et al. 1998
In 1998, James Estes, Tim Tinker, Terrie Williams and Dan Doak published a paper in Science providing evidence to suggest that killer whales were behind the sudden declines in sea otter populations in western Alaska in the 1990s. Estes and colleagues also showed in this paper that the otter...
Revisiting Ricklefs 1987
In 1987, Robert Ricklefs published a paper in Science, making a strong case for the role of “regional processes” in influencing species diversity in biological communities. Twenty-nine years after the paper was published, I asked Robert Ricklefs about his motivated to write this paper, the impact...
Revisiting Roemer et al. 2002
In 2002, Gary Roemer, Josh Donlan and Franck Courchamp published a paper in PNAS showing how the introduction of pigs had reshaped an island’s foodweb and caused the decline of an endemic fox. Fourteen years after the study was published, I spoke to Gary Roemer about the making of this paper, and...