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As the field of ecology evolves, analyses synthesizing trends in key topics addressed over the decades can provide historical context for the development of novel theories and methods, identify "hot topics" over time, and guide future research directions. Such syntheses in a field that aims to diversify can also help quantify efforts to increase representation and authorship by underrepresented groups in STEM. To identify hot topics in ecology, we analyzed key themes in the top‐cited ecology papers in three two‐decade timeframes spanning 1960–2019. We also analyzed authorship trends (gender identity and nationality) in the top‐cited papers. We documented a shift from descriptive studies in single biological systems in the 1960–1970, to more synthesis‐based papers and studies discussing human impacts on the environment in the 1980–1990, while the 2000s were dominated by novel quantitative and macroecological approaches. The top‐cited papers were overwhelmingly from the United States and Europe, highlighting the need to make studies from across the globe more visible and accessible in the ecological literature. Finally, we detected a trend for more papers led by women authors, but a decline in papers with women last authors, indicating a need to retain women in leadership positions. Overall, our hot topics analysis highlights the expanding breadth and quantitative nature of ecology, but illustrates barriers to diversity in the perspectives represented in the top‐cited papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To what extent do the network structural characteristics and prominence of supply chain actors in the buyer firm's network enhance or hinder the ability of the buyer firm to undertake competitive actions? Public Policy Topic Area: How does a firm's non-market actions influence firm supply chain actions and firm behavior? Information Technology Area: How does a buyer firm's information technology capabilities enable the firm to leverage supply chain resources for competitive advantage purposes?. [Extracted from the article]

Government policies attempting to slow the spread of COVID‐19 have reduced access to research laboratories and shifted many scholars to working from home. These disruptions will likely influence submissions to scholarly journals, and affect the time available for editors and reviewers to participate in peer review.In this editorial we examine how journal submissions, and editorial and peer review processes, have been influenced by the pandemic at six journals published by the British Ecological Society (BES).We find no evidence of a change in the geographic pattern of submissions from across the globe. We also find no evidence that submission of manuscripts by women has been more affected by pandemic disruptions than have submissions by men—the proportion of papers authored by women during the COVID period of 2020 has not changed relative to the same period in 2019.Editors handled papers just as quickly, and reviewers have agreed to review just as often, during the pandemic compared to pre‐pandemic. The one notable change in peer review during the pandemic is that reviewers replied more quickly to emails inviting them to review (albeit only 4% sooner), and those who agreed to review returned their reviews more quickly (17% sooner), during the pandemic.We thus find no evidence at these six ecology journals that submissions and peer review processes have been negatively impacted by the pandemic. Also, contrary to analyses in other disciplines, we do not find evidence that there have been disproportionate impacts of the pandemic on female authors and reviewers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A list of books and monographs about the ecology received by the publication through August 2015 is presented, which include "California Condors in the Pacific Northwest," by Jesse D'Elia and Susan M. Haig, "For the Love of Rivers: A Scientist's Journey," by Kurt D. Fausch, and "The Next Tsunami: Living on a Restless Coast," by Bonnie Henderson.

Authorship is intended to convey information regarding credit and responsibility for manuscripts. However, while there is general agreement within ecology that the first author is the person who contributed the most to a particular project, there is less agreement regarding whether being last author is a position of significance and regarding what is indicated by someone being the corresponding author on a manuscript. Using an analysis of papers published in American Naturalist, Ecology, Evolution, and Oikos, I found that: (1) the number of authors on papers is increasing over time; (2) the proportion of first authors as corresponding author has increased over time, as has the proportion of last authors as corresponding author; (3) 84% of papers published in 2016 had the first author as corresponding author; and (4) geographic regions differed in the likelihood of having the first (or last) author as corresponding author. I also carried out an online survey to better understand views on last and corresponding authorship. This survey revealed that most ecologists view the last author as the 'senior' author on a paper (i.e., the person who runs the research group in which most of the work was carried out), and most ecologists view the corresponding author as the person taking full responsibility for a paper. However, there was substantial variation in views on authorship, especially corresponding authorship. Given these results, I suggest that discussions of authorship have as their starting point that the first author will be corresponding author and the senior author will be last author. I also suggest ways of deciding author order in cases where two senior authors contributed equally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the fourth of a series of papers on the stages of critical systems practice. Critical systems practice is a multimethodology that seeks to employ the ideas of critical systems thinking to intervene in and improve complex real‐world 'messes'. It has four stages—Explore (the problem situation), Produce (an intervention strategy), Intervene (flexibly), and Check (on progress)—called to mind as EPIC. The aim is to set out where thinking has reached on the best way to carry out each of these stages and to invite comment on what more needs doing. This paper discusses the fourth stage, Check. During Check, decision makers, and other stakeholders, evaluate the intervention, reflect on what has happened with a view to improving future interventions, and discuss next steps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Interviews are a widely used methodology in conservation research. They are flexible, allowing in‐depth analysis from a relatively small sample size and place the focus of research on the views of participants. While interviews are a popular method, several critiques have been raised in response to their use, including the lack of transparency in sampling strategy, choice of questions and mode of analysis. In this paper, we analyse the use of interviews in research aimed at making decisions for conservation. Through a structured review of 227 papers, we explore where, why and how interviews were used in the context of conservation decision making The review suggests that interviews are a widely used method for a broad range of purposes. These include gaining ecological and/or socio‐economic information on specific conservation issues, understanding knowledge, values, beliefs or decision‐making processes of stakeholders, and strengthening research design and output. The review, however, identifies a number of concerns. Researchers are not reporting fully on their interview methodology. Specifically, results indicate that researchers are: failing to provide a rationale as to why interviews are the most suitable method, not piloting the interviews (thus questions may be poorly designed), not outlining ethical considerations, not providing clear guides to analysis and not critically reviewing their use of interviews. Based on the results of the review, we provide a detailed checklist aimed at conservation researchers who wish to use interviews in their research (whether experienced in using the methodology or not), and journal editors and reviewers to ensure the robustness of interview methodology use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful movement of individuals is fundamental to life. Facilitating these movements by promoting ecological connectivity has become a central theme in ecology and conservation. Urban areas contain more than half of the world's human population, and their potential to support biodiversity and to connect their citizens to nature is increasingly recognized. Promoting ecological connectivity within these areas is essential to reaching this potential. However, our current understanding of ecological connectivity within urban areas appears limited., We reviewed the published scientific literature to assess the state-of-the-art of ecological connectivity research in urban areas, summarized trends in study attributes and highlighted knowledge gaps., We found 174 papers that investigated ecological connectivity within urban areas. These papers addressed either structural (48) or functional connectivity (111), and some addressed both (15), but contained substantial geographic and taxonomic biases. These papers rarely defined the aspect of connectivity they were investigating and objective descriptions of the local urban context were uncommon. Formulated hypotheses or a priori predictions were typically unstated and many papers used suboptimal study designs and methods., We suggest future studies explicitly consider and quantify the landscape within their analyses and make greater use of available and rapidly developing tools and methods for measuring functional connectivity (e.g. biotelemetry or landscape genetics). We also highlight the need for studies to clearly define how the terms ' urban' and ' connectivity' have been applied., Knowledge gaps in ecological connectivity in urban areas remain, partly because the field is still in its infancy and partly because we must better capitalize on the state-of-the-art technological and analytical techniques that are increasingly available. Well-designed studies that employed high-resolution data and powerful analytical techniques highlight our abilities to quantify ecological connectivity in urban areas. These studies are exemplary, setting the standards for future research to facilitate data-driven and evidence-based biodiversity-friendly infrastructure planning in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the report from the editors-in-chief of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) as of July 2016. Information given include centenary year of ESA and the "Bulletin" which provides articles on the Society's history, pictures and documents, the number of manuscripts submitted to the Ecological Monographs, and the growth of the journal "Ecosphere."

We are in the midst of a crisis of climate change and environmental degradation that will only get worse, unless significant changes are rapidly made. Globally, the healthcare sector causes a large share of our total environmental footprint: 4.4% of greenhouse gases. Sustainable healthcare has emerged as a way for healthcare sectors in high‐income countries to help mitigate climate change by reducing their emissions. Whether global health should be sustainable and what ethical grounds might exist to support such a claim are not questions that have been investigated. The paper argues that global health practice—the delivery of health services to underserved populations in resource‐poor areas of the world—should be sustainable as a matter of climate justice and solidarity. Reducing climate change‐related risks and harms for the vulnerable is integral to the mission of global health and thus it is necessary to consider the climate impact of its practice. The field has a duty to provide sustainable health services that are responsive to climate change‐related changes in the local burden of disease and to build sustainable health system infrastructure. Specific responsibilities for global health funders, managers, and implementers to uphold the duty are proposed. To conclude, the paper considers what limits might be placed on the duty to deliver sustainable global healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing (RS) and geospatial sciences already amount to a long history of fostering research in topics related to ecology. Data and methods have mainly been subject to research and experiments, but trends are now emerging that suggest the use of RS in practical applications like nationwide monitoring programs and assisting global conservation goals. However, use of active remote sensing for ecological and conservation is in its infancy, and the implications of active sensor data, including light detection and ranging and radio detection and ranging that mostly deliver three‐dimensional (3D) information, are still relatively primitive and have largely been limited to indirect use of their extracted proxies for ecological modelling.This cross‐journal special feature between Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Journal of Animal Ecology, Journal of Applied Ecology and Journal of Ecology includes 18 papers that include full research papers, reviews and technical applications. They are mostly novel in either or both their interpretation of proxies derived from active RS data and the direct usage of 3D RS techniques (terrestrial, airborne, UAV borne and spaceborne) to address ecological topics.We categorized the published contributions into the following thematic groups, with some degree of overlap: (i) ecosystem structural analysis by active data (nine studies); (ii) response of animal populations to climate dynamics as shown by active data; (iii) interactive effects of forest structure and wildlife monitoring (five studies); (iv) forest inventories assisted by active data (one study) and (v) tree type classification by active data (one study).Synthesis. The studies in this Special Feature and trends shown by other recent works at the interface of ecology and active RS confirm the ongoing shift from indirect and solely proxy‐based approaches to direct and more data‐science driven methods in approaching ecology and conservation problems by means of active sensors. Relatively affordable and accessible drone and citizen science‐based on‐demand active RS data acquisition are becoming common practice, and the future of sensor development is hypothesized to go beyond the current domination of very high spatial resolution data and towards multiple spaceborne platforms. These tools and methods will support spatial upscaling, uncertainty analysis, large‐scale mapping and monitoring of wildlife dynamics, among other topics that can take advantage of multitemporal/time series data. Nevertheless, access to demanding and costly very high‐resolution data sources may still be maintained and optimized by establishing international and public–private partnered data pools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Senior positions in academia such as tenured faculty and editorial positions often exhibit large gender imbalances across a broad range of research disciplines. The forces driving these imbalances have been the subject of extensive speculation and a more modest body of research. Given the central role publications play in determining individual outcomes and progress in academic settings, unequal patterns of authorship across gender could be a potent driver of observed gender imbalance in academia. Here, we investigate patterns of co‐authorship across four journals in ecology and evolutionary biology at four time‐points spanning four decades. Co‐authorship patterns are of interest because collaborations are important in scientific research, affecting individual researcher productivity, and increasingly, funding opportunities. Based on inferred gender from set criteria, we found significant differences between male and female researchers in their tendency to publish with female co‐authors. Specifically, compared to women, male researchers in the last author position were more likely to co‐author papers with other males. While we did find that the proportion of female co‐authors has increased modestly over the last thirty years, this is strongly correlated with an increase in the average number of authors per paper over time. Additionally, the proportion of female co‐authors on papers remains well below the proportion of PhDs awarded to females in biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substrate oxidation can be altered by both environmental temperature and exercise training. It is unclear whether environmental temperatures before and after short‐term exercise training influence substrate oxidation rates and energy expenditure (EE) during postexercise recovery. The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of hot and thermoneutral environments on substrate oxidation and EE during postexercise recovery before and after a 1‐month exercise training in obese women. Sixteen overweight or obese women underwent a 1‐month exercise training. Before and after training, each participant completed metabolic testing during postexercise recovery at either hot (31°C–32°C) or thermoneutral (22°C–23°C) environments in a randomized crossover fashion with a washout period of 2–4 days between the two tests. The substrate oxidation and EE determined by indirect calorimetry during the 60‐min postexercise recovery of the hot and thermoneutral environments were compared. Following exercise training, fat oxidation during recovery was significantly greater at thermoneutral than at hot environments (thermoneutral, 56.0 ± 24.6 mg/kg/h vs. hot, 39.7 ± 27.5 mg/kg/h; p < 0.001). Conversely, carbohydrate oxidation during the recovery was significantly greater at hot than at thermoneutral environments, and the total EE at both temperatures did not significantly differ (hot, 70.5 ± 19.6 kcal/h vs. thermoneutral, 71.3 ± 13.7 kcal/h; p = 0.846). The results were the same as those before exercise training. After an acute bout of exercise, recovery in a thermoneutral environment increases fat oxidation; however, environmental temperatures produce no effect on the total EE. The same results were obtained before and after exercise training, suggesting that energy and substrate metabolism during postexercise recovery are more influenced by the environmental temperature than exercise training. Key Points: Substrate oxidation during postexercise recovery can be influenced by environmental temperature in obese women.Recovery in the thermoneutral environment results in greater fat oxidation than in the hot environment. EE is unaffected by the recovery environment.Exercise training does not alter the temperature‐related substrate oxidation or EE during recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a jungle environment where jaguars are considered human, systems thinking has evolved in unexpected ways. Although systems thinking is commonly seen as a product of the Western world, other cultures have developed their own versions with unique characteristics. In this article, we explore Amazonian systems thinking, which has similarities to modern Western systems thinking, as well as differences that may inspire the evolution of systems approaches worldwide. We will discuss the contributions of Amazonian systems thinking particularly to find answers to the planet's ecological and sustainability problems, such as climate change and mass extinction of species, among others. We will present the systems thinking that emerged in some Amazonian communities, how it relates to mainstream Western systems thinking, and focus on some unique aspects of Amazonian systems thinking. This paper is based on the ethnographic work of Gerardo Reichel‐Dolmatoff and other anthropologists who have studied Amazonian communities for decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has demonstrated that cooperative and automated driving functions can improve traffic efficiency and safety. Traffic efficiency can be increased and the overall vehicle energy consumption can be reduced through cooperative driving functions not only on the highway, but also in urban areas. To this end, this paper presents a linear model predictive control (MPC) algorithm for the optimization of velocity trajectories of vehicles in a platoon in an urban traffic environment. A novel centralized approach is implemented to optimize the total energy consumption of all vehicles while improving traffic efficiency. To solve the optimal control problem, for the first time, an additional data‐driven velocity prediction model of the vehicle in front of the platoon is used to consider the influence of realistic prediction errors when evaluating the developed control strategy in a vehicle simulation environment. The simulated total energy consumption is compared with a rule‐based cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) algorithm. Furthermore, the traffic density and the platoon string stability, the robustness and computer time of the centralized approach are also included in the evaluation. Simulation results indicate that, considering all evaluation criteria, the centralized cooperative control strategy can improve energy efficiency by up to 15% in the investigated urban scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to institutional pressures faced by companies in their business environment, this paper investigates how sustainability certification adoption affects global suppliers' competences. Using multiple case studies, managers of 20 export‐oriented firms were interviewed, and secondary data were collected and analysed through inductive content analysis. Findings show normative and mimetic pressures as central for sustainability implementation by coffee suppliers. Additionally, we found that as a result of suppliers' sustainability improvement in their own operations, during the certification adoption, new competences emerged going beyond the triple bottom line dimensions, including improvements in aspects of institutional dimension of sustainability. In contrast to previous research in supply chain sustainability that emphasises coercive pressures, this paper demonstrates the role of normative and mimetic institutional pressures in developing new supplier competences. In doing so, we draw on the role of certification adoption in influencing global suppliers and hence sustainability throughout the supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a contemporary trend in many major research institutions to de‐emphasize the importance of natural history education in favor of theoretical, laboratory, or simulation‐based research programs. This may take the form of removing biodiversity and field courses from the curriculum and the sometimes subtle maligning of natural history research as a "lesser" branch of science. Additional threats include massive funding cuts to natural history museums and the maintenance of their collections, the extirpation of taxonomists across disciplines, and a critical under‐appreciation of the role that natural history data (and other forms of observational data, including Indigenous knowledge) play in the scientific process. In this paper, we demonstrate that natural history knowledge is integral to any competitive science program through a comprehensive review of the ways in which they continue to shape modern theory and the public perception of science. We do so by reviewing how natural history research has guided the disciplines of ecology, evolution, and conservation and how natural history data are crucial for effective education programs and public policy. We underscore these insights with contemporary case studies, including: how understanding the dynamics of evolutionary radiation relies on natural history data; methods for extracting novel data from museum specimens; insights provided by multi‐decade natural history programs; and how natural history is the most logical venue for creating an informed and scientifically literate society. We conclude with recommendations aimed at students, university faculty, and administrators for integrating and supporting natural history in their mandates. Fundamentally, we are all interested in understanding the natural world, but we can often fall into the habit of abstracting our research away from its natural contexts and complexities. Doing so risks losing sight of entire vistas of new questions and insights in favor of an over‐emphasis on simulated or overly controlled studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a previous series of papers (Sutherland, Dicks, Everard, & Geneletti,), we summarise the use of a range of social science methods in conservation decision‐making. Moon et al. () claim that the special feature risks narrowing the scope of social science research and suggest that we presented a limited perspective on the field. They thereby criticise the special feature for not doing something that it never intended to do in the first instance. We did not claim that the list of articles covered in the special feature is a comprehensive list (which it obviously is not) and we are unclear why anyone would think it is.While we consider the Moon et al. () paper to be a useful contribution for conservation scientists as a supplementary paper, it serves less as a critique to the special feature. Moon et al.('s () paper makes very few direct and substantive criticisms of points raised in the special feature. We respond to areas of contention referring specifically to research philosophy, bias, and data reporting.Moon et al. () criticise the set of papers for perpetuating an objectivist view of the world. We believe that it would be rather disconcerting for the research community if there were no social truths to discover. Rather, social science research methods conducted in specific places can be good ways of exploring how truths vary in different contexts.We also note that Moon et al. () completely missed the point we were trying to make about psychological biases, which are quite different to the issues associated with researcher bias highlighted by them.We encourage readers to pay close attention to the use of social science methods in conservation science. We reiterate, however, that the main purpose of the special feature was to ensure that social science methodologies for decision‐making are accessible for all conservation scientists to use, regardless of disciplinary background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interview with scholar Michel Loreau is presented. When asked about his interest behind focusing his career on ecology, he mention that ecology was the kind of integrative science that allow to satisfy other interest and develop the synthetic worldview. He mention that the meta-ecosystem concept grew out of work that he did with his former Ph.D. student Nicolas Mouquet. He comment on the future of the meta-ecosystem ecology.

The article focuses on the Murray F. Buell Award for Excellence in Ecology and the E. Lucy Braun Award for Excellence in Ecology. It is noted that a candidate for these awards must be a graduate student, an undergraduate or a recent doctorate to be eligible for these awards. It is mentioned that the student need not be an Ecological Society of America (ESA) member but the paper or poster must be presented as part of the program sponsored by the ESA.

The academic disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) have long suffered from a lack of diversity. While in recent years there has been some progress in addressing the underrepresentation of women in STEM subjects, other characteristics that have the potential to impact on equality of opportunity have received less attention. In this study, we surveyed 188 early career scientists (ECRs), defined as within 10 years of completing their PhD, in the fields of ecology, evolutionary biology, behaviour, and related disciplines. We examined associations between ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, sex, socioeconomic background, and disability, with measures of career progression, namely publication record, number of applications made before obtaining a postdoc, type of contract, and number of grant applications made. We also queried respondents on perceived barriers to progression and potential ways of overcoming them. Our key finding was that socioeconomic background and ethnicity were associated with measures of career progression. While there was no difference in the number of reported first‐authored papers on PhD completion, ethnic minority respondents reported fewer other‐authored papers. In addition, ECRs from a lower socioeconomic background were more likely to report being in teaching and research positions, rather than research‐only positions, the latter being perceived as more prestigious by some institutions. We discuss our findings in the context of possible inequality of opportunity. We hope that this study will stimulate wider discussion and help to inform strategies to address the underrepresentation of minority groups in the fields of ecology and evolution, and STEM subjects more widely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing availability of digital technology in biology classrooms has facilitated an on-going transition from traditional lectures to the use of multimedia tools such as videos and interactive software. While most existing educational multimedia focus on illustrating textbook concepts, few address the process of science by linking those concepts with the researchers and their studies as reported and received in the primary literature. With the support of a 2015 ESA Centennial grant, we teamed up with students and university-affiliated artists to create four original animated videos of classic ecology papers of the last century. The videos were showcased at the 2015 Centennial Meeting Sunday Plenary and continue to be available for free viewing and sharing at http://ecomotionstudios.com/. Since their debut, the videos have received over 8000 views, have been employed as educational tools in undergraduate classrooms, and have been promoted as outreach tools by science media outlets including on the homepage for the journal, The American Naturalist. Here, we argue that the potential for artistry, narrative structure, and connection to the research process make animation an invaluable and underutilized medium for sharing primary literature with students and public audiences. We envision the future of ecology as one where decreasing video production costs and the opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration available at universities lead to increased production of visual media to supplement education and broadly communicate primary ecological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite substantial progress for women in science, women remain underrepresented in many aspects of the scholarly publication process. We examined how the gender diversity of editors and reviewers changed over time for six journals in ecology and evolution (2003–2015 for four journals, 2007–2015 or 2009–2015 for the other two), and how several aspects of the peer review process differed between female and male editors and reviewers. We found that for five of the six journals, women were either absent or very poorly represented as handling editors at the beginning of our dataset. The representation of women increased gradually and consistently, with women making up 29% of the handling editors (averaged across journals) in 2015, similar to the representation of women as last authors on ecology papers (23% in 2015) but lower than the proportion of women among all authors (31%) and among members of the societies that own the journals (37%–40%). The proportion of women among reviewers has also gradually but consistently increased over time, reaching 27% by 2015. Female editors invited more female reviewers than did male editors, and this difference increased with age of the editor. Men and women who were invited to review did not differ in whether they responded to the review invitation, but, of those that responded, women were slightly more likely to agree to review. In contrast, women were less likely than men to accept invitations to serve on journal editorial boards. Our analyses indicate that there has been progress in the representation of women as reviewers and editors in ecology and evolutionary biology, but women are still underrepresented among the gatekeepers of scholarly publishing relative to their representation among researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern‐day firms are under extreme pressure from diverse stakeholders to integrate environmentalism, mainly sustainable, social, and environmental ingenuities like biodiversity initiatives, into their business strategy. Collaborative arrangements in the form of business groups can positively influence sustainable development and environmental ingenuities by adhering to environmental policies and regulations and pursuing environmental orientation as they have a higher political or social visibility. However, such collaborations may negatively influence ecological and carbon footprints as their stronger political legitimacy means that they are less worried about undertaking legitimation activities in the drive toward environmental protection and restoration, such as enhanced sustainable social and environmental performance. This paper adds to the emerging conflicting business strategy and environment literature to resolve whether corporate's collaborative actions protect the environment or further deteriorate it in the form of increased or decreased sustainable social and environmental performance. Using a large sample of 21,086 firm‐year observations from 2010 to 2018 in China (the world's biggest polluter), we find a negative and significant relationship between corporate's collaborative actions and sustainable social and environmental performance, implying that such collaborative arrangements have worse sustainable social and environmental performance than non‐collaborative (individual) firms. The findings highlight vital guidelines in framing stratagems about ecological protection and restoration and effectively improving the environmental footprints of the firms. Our results constitute the interests of policymakers and controllers concerned with evaluating initiatives pertaining to ecological protection and sustainable development among the collaboratively managed enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When we launched the journal in 2010, we did so because of feedback from the community that there was a need for a journal that promoted the publication of new methods. In 2010, there was no existing journal that specialized in publishing methods papers in ecology or evolutionary biology. I Methods in Ecology and Evolution i set out to publish across the disciplines of ecology and evolutionary biology. [Extracted from the article]

Menegotto and colleagues' (2019) commentary on our paper (Kinlock et al., 2018) does not negate our findings, but by recategorizing and reanalysing a portion of our data set, advances our knowledge of the latitudinal diversity gradients (LDGs) in marine ecosystems, particularly emphasizing different findings for benthic LDGs as a result of the recategorization of the data. Furthermore, we see the contribution by Menegotto et al. (2019) as highlighting the importance of scientific transparency; we believe that this insight into the nature of LDGs in marine systems would have been delayed, if not unobtainable, had we not provided fully transparent methods and complete data in our paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper operationalizes an analysis of resilience for social-ecological systems using system dynamics (SD) modelling. Resilience is a versatile concept that continues to gain popularity among researchers who study ways to reduce the vulnerability of social-ecological systems to a wide range of disturbances. However, its application in the policymaking domain still remains underdeveloped because it is difficult to understand the mechanisms that might enhance resilience and to measure the impact of potential policies. This paper proposes to use SD modelling as a tool to analyse resilience using simulations to quantify system response to disturbances and a causal analysis to identify ways to influence this response. With this aim, this paper proposes a set of fundamental characteristics of resilient responses and describes how to measure them using the results produced by SD models. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversifying curricula is of increasing interest in higher education, including in ecology and evolution and allied fields. Yet, many educators may not know where to start. Here we provide a framework for meeting standard curriculum goals while enacting anti‐racist and anti‐colonial syllabi that is grounded in the development of a sustainable network of educators. In addition to highlighting this professional learning process and sharing the list of resources our group has developed, we provide suggestions to help educators highlight contributions of minoritized groups, explore multiple ways of knowing, and perform critical assessments of foundational views of life and environmental science fields. We further discuss the key classroom dynamics that affect the success of such anti‐racist and anti‐colonial initiatives. The retention and success of minoritized students in ecology and evolution depends on whether we address injustices in our fields. Our hope is that our fellow educators will use this paper to catalyze their own efforts to diversify their courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machizukuri emerged as a way for residents to solve local community problems autonomously and, throughout the past half century, it has experienced a unique development process. This paper describes its history, the various methods accumulated through continuous practice, and its achievements and prospects, as follows. Section  presents the context in which Japanese machizukuri was born. Even though similar trends appeared all over the world in response to the turbulent social context in the latter half of the 1960s, unique conditions in Japan gave way to a specific approach, which is today called machizukuri. Section  presents its evolutive process, from the birth of machizukuri until the present. Studying the development of particular systems, methods, designs, and planning techniques over time, three generations can be identified. Section  addresses the research and practical development of machizukuri as developed by the author of this paper. Finally, Section  describes and summarizes the future prospects and challenges of machizukuri. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability issues became ever more important for firms' business strategies. Not living up to public and stakeholders' expectations results in controversies damaging the firm's reputation. Firms integrate sustainability aspects – environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues – in their business strategies to satisfy stakeholders ranging from customers to investors. Substantial resources are invested to increase their sustainability engagement to avoid sustainability‐related controversies. However, the degree to which sustainability engagement is effective is an open issue, as the occurrence of sustainability‐related controversies has structural components, which are under the firms' control, but also random components. Using data on firms' sustainability engagement, this paper investigates to what degree firms can actually avoid controversies by engaging in sustainability and to what degree such controversies are caused by factors beyond the firm's control, like random events or the societal environment. Our findings indicate strong sustainability engagement to be a significant factor for avoiding controversies, albeit the magnitude of the effect is very limited. While controversies are not purely random events, they are driven strongly by factors beyond the firm's strategic control, like firm size and country of origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementing the circular economy (CE) requires novel forms of stakeholder collaboration. While the contemporary literature on stakeholder theory is commonly characterized as "pro‐business‐oriented," it remains ambiguous on how precisely stakeholder collaborations may pave the way for a systemic CE transition. By applying a qualitative‐empirical research approach utilizing semi‐structured interviews, this paper identifies three types of stakeholder governance for CE collaborations—(i) company‐centric governance, (ii) industry‐oriented governance, and (iii) cross‐industry‐oriented governance. Our contribution to stakeholder theory lies in examining how a systemic CE transition may bridge "the stakeholder‐system divide." We emphasize the unique role of innovative governance in ensuring the success of stakeholder relationships while highlighting how systemic changes of the business environment may give an impetus to stakeholder collaborations. We contribute to the CE literature by gaining the following insights into stakeholder collaborations in the European chemicals and plastics industry: (a) successful collaborations typically feature a variety of different stakeholders maintaining close mutual interactions; (b) a systemic CE transition calls for managerial strategies that are collectively governance‐oriented rather than company‐centric. This article thus sheds light on the criticality of stakeholder collaborations and collective‐oriented governance strategies in fostering CE practices within the European chemicals and plastics industry highlighting that stakeholder collaborations for a CE need to be extended beyond immediate industrial and sectoral boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extremely narrow endemic plant species (ENEs) are generally connected with microrefugia characterized by particular environmental conditions. In‐depth knowledge of the ecological requirements of ENEs is fundamental to plan appropriate conservation measures. Using cross‐cutting technology, this paper gives a multifaceted approach to collect on‐site data on the ecology of ENEs, defines the protocols for a correct sampling design and describes the type of equipment, the time and expenditure needed. Our sampling approach is based on two orthogonal transects, long enough to extrapolate the whole ecological gradient across the area of occupancy of the target species. Microclimatic data are recorded all along the transects through iButton technology, plus a weather station installed at the intersection of the transects. Microtopographic data are recorded with high‐resolution digital elevation model and sub‐metric GPS. Edaphic data are recorded along the transects through standard soil analyses and on‐site evaluation of the seasonal decomposition rate of organic matter. Additionally, vegetation sampling in 4 m2 plots and on‐site germination tests allow to collect data on auto‐ and synecological factors that regulate the life cycle of the target species. Our approach has proved to be cost‐effective and efficient in terms of time spent in the field against the data collected. The most demanding activities were the establishment of the transects and the vegetation sampling. The time spent downloading microclimatic data and testing seed germination was relatively short. Our sampling design allows: (i) to catch as much micro‐topographic variability as possible, both within and out of the tolerance range of the target species, (ii) to minimize the risk of recording identical micro‐topographic conditions compared with a random sampling scheme, and (iii) to ensure quick and relatively easy retrieval of the plots and the equipment both on a multi‐seasonal and multi‐annual basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solutions to global problems such as climate change and biodiversity loss require educational frameworks and accompanying teaching resources that are theory‐based, interdisciplinary, and accessible to broad undergraduate and graduate student audiences. Ecological resilience theory (ERT) is a framework with established interdisciplinary application to complex global problems, but despite an emphasis on the utility of resilience in national higher education frameworks, we found that many current ecology textbooks incorporate multiple definitions and highly variable amounts of discussion on core resilience concepts. To facilitate the use of innovative teaching resources in ERT in universities, this paper describes four free multimedia tools and templates that align with national education frameworks and are available for innovation and development by educators interested in ERT. The products are (1) content modules on core terms and concepts of ERT, (2) a classroom game and discussion, (3) interactive case studies, and (4) a complementary podcast based on resilience concepts and interviews with resilience experts to supplement formal classroom education. We contextualize the opportunities of ERT and thinking for students in university classrooms, as well as the benefits of involving graduate students and encouraging their initiative with this type of project. We conclude with a brief discussion of future opportunities for these types of educational resources. Our intent is that these resources be available for educators and researchers to facilitate interdisciplinarity, collaboration, and innovation to address complex global problems from a core educational framework of ERT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including ecological and evolutionary research, methods in ecology, and the emergence of diseases.

The article discusses the improvement of the communication of the journal, citing the launched of many initiatives to enhance the dissemination of methods. It cites on the seismic shift in attitudes of ecologists and evolutionary biologists having policies around data sharing. The article also discusses the guidelines to maximise the accessibility and usability of the journal.

The article offers the author's insights regarding the exotic grasses, fire cycles, and global change. Topics discussed include the disturbances of biological soil crust in coastal sage scrub, her experience in studying ecology, and her journey as 21st century ecologist to emulate identical paper trails.

Environmental conditions can have a lasting epigenetic impact on development, and there is increasing evidence that these effects can be transmitted across generations. Evidence for parental transmission of epigenetic variation to offspring has been primarily focused on paternal epigenetic influences induced by a male's experience of nutritional, social and toxicological exposures.There is an assumption in the literature that paternal influence on offspring in non‐biparental species is mediated exclusively through epigenetic transmission via the germline. However, integration of concepts from behavioural ecology into the study of parental transmission of environmental effects reveals the importance of mating tactics and maternal–paternal interplay in shaping resource allocation towards offspring in considering the mechanism(s) of epigenetic transmission.This paper describes the current state of knowledge regarding paternal epigenetic germline effects, the interplay between maternal and paternal influences and the importance of considering the complex nature of reproduction when predicting the transmission of phenotype across generations. Further, this paper highlights how incorporating concepts from behavioural ecology into the study of epigenetic transmission can refine predictions of phenotypes that emerge and create a more integrated notion of development and inheritance.It is proposed that theoretical and methodological approaches that consider the impact of reproductive context, which include mating dynamics, fertility, variation in parental life history and assessment of maternal effects, could improve the predictions made within studies of paternal epigenetic effects on offspring development. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect migration influences population dynamics, provides ecosystem services, causes heavy crop damages and spreads diseases. The identification of insect migrants is critically important for the study of insect migration. Radar is an effective means of detecting nocturnal insect migrants. The mass, body shape and wingbeat frequency could be measured by the special-purpose entomological radar. These features are potentially valuable for species identification. This paper proposed a method to extract the mass of migratory insects based on ellipsoid scattering model. This model was used to approximate the small insects in the Rayleigh region, and then the inversion formula of the mass was developed based on ellipsoid scattering characteristics. Finally, through analysing statistical data of insect migrants, the formula was modified to fit small migratory insects. The root mean square percent error is 34.92% for estimates of mass. The given method can promote the species identification and biomass quantification of over-flying migratory insects, so as to study the role of insect migration in ecosystems and the pest control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional diversity is increasingly recognized by microbial ecologists as the essential link between biodiversity patterns and ecosystem functioning, determining the trophic relationships and interactions between microorganisms, their participation in biogeochemical cycles, and their responses to environmental changes. Consequently, its definition and quantification have practical and theoretical implications. In this opinion paper, we present a synthesis on the concept of microbial functional diversity from its definition to its application. Initially, we revisit to the original definition of functional diversity, highlighting two fundamental aspects, the ecological unit under study and the functional traits used to characterize it. Then, we discuss how the particularities of the microbial world disallow the direct application of the concepts and tools developed for macroorganisms. Next, we provide a synthesis of the literature on the types of ecological units and functional traits available in microbial functional ecology. We also provide a list of more than 400 traits covering a wide array of environmentally relevant functions. Lastly, we provide examples of the use of functional diversity in microbial systems based on the different units and traits discussed herein. It is our hope that this paper will stimulate discussions and help the growing field of microbial functional ecology to realize a potential that thus far has only been attained in macrobial ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of optimising the thermal environment and design parameters of underground cable lines for cable crossings with the aim of increasing the ampacities of cables is considered in this paper. Particle swarm optimisation (PSO) algorithm, formulated as a continuous non‐linear optimisation problem with constraints, for solving this hot spot problem is applied. It is found, using the PSO algorithm, that there are a suitable size of cable bedding and an arrangement of cables within that bedding, which can eliminate or significantly mitigate the hot spot effect without the use of any additional cooling equipment. In this manner, the ampacities of both crossing cable lines increase by about 15% on average with respect to the case of a similar crossing with installation parameters commonly used. In addition, it is shown how the cross‐sectional areas of the conductors and metal screens and the metal screen bonding methods affect the optimal solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individual tree detection (ITD) and crown delineation are two of the most relevant methods for extracting detailed and reliable forest information from LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) datasets. However, advanced computational skills and specialized knowledge have been normally required to extract forest information from LiDAR.The development of accessible tools for 3D forest characterization can facilitate rapid assessment by stakeholders lacking a remote sensing background, thus fostering the practical use of LiDAR datasets in forest ecology and conservation. This paper introduces the treetop application, an open‐source web‐based and R package LiDAR analysis tool for extracting forest structural information at the tree level, including cutting‐edge analyses of properties related to forest ecology and management.We provide case studies of how treetop can be used for different ecological applications, within various forest ecosystems. Specifically, treetop was employed to assess post‐hurricane disturbance in natural temperate forests, forest homogeneity in industrial forest plantations and the spatial distribution of individual trees in a tropical forest.treetop simplifies the extraction of relevant forest information for forest ecologists and conservationists who may use the tool to easily visualize tree positions and sizes, conduct complex analyses and download results including individual tree lists and figures summarizing forest structural properties. Through this open‐source approach, treetop can foster the practical use of LiDAR data among forest conservation and management stakeholders and help ecological researchers to further understand the relationships between forest structure and function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital supply chains have revolutionised manufacturing firms by helping them address the challenges of a dynamic environment. Firms implement low‐carbon practices to achieve environmental sustainability. This paper explores whether digital supply chain networks can influence the sustainable performance of manufacturing firms and the mediating effect of low‐carbon practices in the contingency factor of environmental dynamism (ED). The relationship is examined in terms of information processing theory and stakeholder theory and from the perspective of a resource‐based view (RBV). The proposed framework is tested using structural equation modelling. The results show that low‐carbon practices have a partial mediation effect on digital supply chains and the sustainable performance of manufacturing firms. Furthermore, ED moderates the relationship of low‐carbon practices and digital supply chain networks. The study can support managers as they design strategies to move towards a low‐carbon economy, enhancing the firm's sustainable performance in accordance with ED. The current study strongly contributes to the literature on business strategy and the environment, as it has both theoretical and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We identify a disciplinary divide in how the environmental impacts of urbanization are presented in ecology and urban planning journals. We analyzed the sentiments expressed in 202,900 journal articles and found that articles in ecology journals discuss urbanization three times more negatively relative to urban planning journals. Articles in both disciplines identified the negative local impacts of urban growth on biodiversity, habitat, and other ecological outcomes. However, urban planning research also considered the positive global‐scale benefits of cities in enabling more efficient settlement patterns that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. These diverging perspectives are likely due to the different scales and scopes of the two disciplines, but also because of different counterfactuals: the alternative to urbanization might be car‐dependent exurbs, or simply no new development within the focal study area. Interdisciplinary collaborations may provide a path to reconcile the different perspectives and boost sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there have been significant advances in the technology used to collect data on the movement and activity patterns of humans and animals. GPS units, which form the primary source of location data, have become cheaper, more accurate, lighter and less power‐hungry, and their accuracy has been further improved with the addition of inertial measurement units. The consequence is a glut of geospatial time series data, recorded at rates that range from one position fix every several hours (to maximize system lifetime) to ten fixes per second (in high dynamic situations). Since data of this quality and volume have only recently become available, the analytical methods to extract behavioral information from raw position data are at an early stage of development. An instance of this lies in the analysis of animal movement patterns. When investigating solitary animals, the timing and location of instances of avoidance and association are important behavioral markers. In this paper, a novel analytical method to detect avoidance and association between individuals is proposed; unlike existing methods, assumptions about the shape of the territories or the nature of individual movement are not needed. Simulations demonstrate that false positives (type I error) are rare (1%–3%), which means that the test rarely suggests that there is an association if there is none. In this paper, we introduce a novel statistical method that can be used to establish whether individuals or groups are more or less often in close proximity of each other than expected by chance. Moreover, it does so in a way that is independent of the size and shape of the individuals' ranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Optimization is an eternal topic in chemical processes due to limited resources and various safety and environment constraints. The highly intense market competition has led to the realistic significance of optimizing chemical processes. Chemical processes in China have achieved considerable development in recent years, and new challenges to improve operations have emerged along with this development. This paper briefly overviews recent progress made by our laboratory and existing challenges in chemical process optimization. The process optimization is introduced from the perspective of automation hierarchy and its coordination, followed by our major work with emphasis on real‐time optimization and advanced control layers. Several cases of comprehensive optimization in typical chemical processes are highlighted in this paper. On the basis of these theoretical and industrial practices, challenges in process operations are discussed. Finally, opportunities for future research directions are proposed for high efficient operations and control of chemical processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, four relational heuristic responses for exploring new modes of engagement, or patterns of activity, that could enliven humanity's efforts in fostering systemic thinking and action to inform sustainability transitions are offered. Their purpose is to realise more resilient and just Anthropocene futures. These relational heuristics are (1) re‐patterning our theories of change‐making, (2) cultivating a shared future consciousness, (3) creating transformative spaces and (4) engaging in processes of co‐exploration. We argue that these heuristics are better aligned for studying and responding to the systemic and interdependent nature of the real‐world challenges we are currently facing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature imposes a constraint on the rates and outcomes of ecological processes that determine community-and ecosystem-level patterns. The application of metabolic scaling theory has advanced our understanding of the influence of temperature on pattern and process in marine communities. Metabolic scaling theory uses the fundamental and ubiquitous patterns of temperature-dependent metabolism to predict how environmental temperature influences patterns and processes at higher levels of biological organization. Here, we outline some of these predictions to review recent advances and illustrate how scaling theory might be applied to new challenges. For example, warming can alter species interactions and food-web structure and can also reduce total animal biomass supportable by a given amount of primary production by increasing animal metabolism and energetic demand. Additionally, within a species, larval development is faster in warmer water, potentially influencing dispersal and other demographic processes like population connectivity and gene flow. These predictions can be extended further to address major questions in marine ecology, and present an opportunity for conceptual unification of marine ecological research across levels of biological organization. Drawing on work by ecologists and oceanographers over the last century, a metabolic scaling approach represents a promising way forward for applying ecological understanding to basic questions as well as conservation challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]