Hot off the presses! Nov 01 Trends in Ecology & Evolution

The Nov 01 issue of the Trends in Ecology & Evolution is now up on Pubget (About Trends in Ecology & Evolution): if you're at a subscribing institution, just click the link in the latest link at the home page. (Note you'll only be able to get all the PDFs in the issue if your institution subscribes to Pubget.)

Latest Articles Include:

• Editorial Board
  - Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25(11):i (2010)
  
• Transdisciplinary research is needed to predict plant invasions in an era of global change
  - Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25(11):619-620 (2010)
  
• Biodiversity "surpluses" and "deficits" are not novel issues
  - Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25(11):620-621 (2010)
  
• Response to 'Biodiversity "surpluses" and "deficits" are not novel issues': We agree
  - Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25(11):621-622 (2010)
  
• Artifacts of the evolving mind: what tool use tells us about early human cognition
  - Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25(11):622-623 (2010)
  
• Popular ants with style and substance
  - Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25(11):623-624 (2010)
  
• Aliens, globalization, and biodiversity
  - Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25(11):624-625 (2010)
  
• Three roads diverged? Routes to phylogeographic inference
  - Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25(11):626-632 (2010)
  Phylogeographic methods facilitate inference of the geographical history of genetic lineages. Recent examples explore human migration and the origins of viral pandemics. There is longstanding disagreement over the use and validity of certain phylogeographic inference methodologies. In this paper, we highlight three distinct frameworks for phylogeographic inference to give a taste of this disagreement. Each of the three approaches presents a different viewpoint on phylogeography, most fundamentally on how we view the relationship between the inferred history of a sample and the history of the population the sample is embedded in. Satisfactory resolution of this relationship between history of the tree and history of the population remains a challenge for all but the most trivial models of phylogeographic processes. Intriguingly, we believe that some recent methods that entirely avoid inference about the history of the population will eventually help to reach a resolution .
• Rising to the challenge of sustaining coral reef resilience
  - Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25(11):633-642 (2010)
  Phase-shifts from one persistent assemblage of species to another have become increasingly commonplace on coral reefs and in many other ecosystems due to escalating human impacts. Coral reef science, monitoring and global assessments have focused mainly on producing detailed descriptions of reef decline, and continue to pay insufficient attention to the underlying processes causing degradation. A more productive way forward is to harness new theoretical insights and empirical information on why some reefs degrade and others do not. Learning how to avoid undesirable phase-shifts, and how to reverse them when they occur, requires an urgent reform of scientific approaches, policies, governance structures and coral reef management.
• Stochastic models of population extinction
  - Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25(11):643-652 (2010)
  Theoretical ecologists have long sought to understand how the persistence of populations depends on biotic and abiotic factors. Classical work showed that demographic stochasticity causes the mean time to extinction to increase exponentially with population size, whereas variation in environmental conditions can lead to a power-law scaling. Recent work has focused especially on the influence of the autocorrelation structure ('color') of environmental noise. In theoretical physics, there is a burst of research activity in analyzing large fluctuations in stochastic population dynamics. This research provides powerful tools for determining extinction times and characterizing the pathway to extinction. It yields, therefore, sharp insights into extinction processes and has great potential for further applications in theoretical biology.
• Do consistent individual differences in metabolic rate promote consistent individual differences in behavior?
  - Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25(11):653-659 (2010)
  Consistent individual differences (CIDs) in behavior are a widespread phenomenon in animals, but the proximate reasons for them are unresolved. We discuss evidence for the hypothesis that CIDs in energy metabolism, as reflected by resting metabolic rate (RMR), promote CIDs in behavior patterns that either provide net energy (e.g. foraging activity), and/or consume energy (e.g. courtship activity). In doing so, we provide a framework for linking together RMR, behavior, and life-history productivity. Empirical studies suggest that RMR is (a) related to the capacity to generate energy, (b) repeatable, and (c) correlated with behavioral output (e.g. aggressiveness) and productivity (e.g. growth). We conclude by discussing future research directions to clarify linkages between behavior and energy metabolism in this emerging research area.
• Chromosomal speciation revisited: rearranging theory with pieces of evidence
  - Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25(11):660-669 (2010)
  The suggestion that chromosomal rearrangements play a role in speciation resulted from the observation that heterokaryotypes are often infertile. However, the first chromosomal speciation models were unsatisfactory and data available to test them was scarce. Recently, large amounts of data have become available and new theoretical models have been developed explaining how rearrangements facilitate speciation in the face of gene flow. Here, we re-examine theoretical predictions and revisit different sources of data. Although rearrangements are often associated with increased levels of divergence, unequivocal demonstration that their role in suppressing recombination results in speciation is often lacking. Finally, we question some previous predictions and suggest new empirical and theoretical approaches to understanding the relevance of rearrangements in the origin of species.
• How understanding aboveground–belowground linkages can assist restoration ecology
  - Trends in Ecology and Evolution 25(11):670-679 (2010)
  The topic of aboveground–belowground linkages has seen much recent activity, resulting in several conceptual advances regarding plant–soil feedbacks, multitrophic interactions, and how organisms drive ecosystem processes. Although restoration ecology has been rapidly evolving as a scientific discipline, the principles that have developed regarding aboveground–belowground linkages have yet to be thoroughly integrated into it. In this review, we conceptually integrate the role of aboveground–belowground linkages with the principles of restoration ecology through a framework that transcends multiple levels of ecological organization, and illustrate its application through three examples: restoration of abandoned land, reversal of biological invasions, and restoration of natural disturbances. We conclude that this integration can greatly assist restoration ecology, through aiding identification of effective invention practices and prediction of ecosystem recovery.