Highlighted papers

Read more about the article Zeta beats beta in the game of biodiversity measurement – A new common currency for quantifying and linking biodiversity patterns and relationships
By providing a continuous biodiversity turnover metric, zeta diversity is particularly useful for assessing the conservation status of protected areas not only based on endangered species but also common ones, such as the Lilac-breasted roller (Coracias caudata) in Kruger National Park (South Africa). Photo credit: C. Hui.
2014 / Highlighted papers

Zeta beats beta in the game of biodiversity measurement – A new common currency for quantifying and linking biodiversity patterns and relationships

Mounting challenges from man-made environmental change means measuring and tracking changes in biodiversity—the total living natural assets on earth—is becoming increasingly more important.

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2 October 2014
Read more about the article Birds helped acacia trees travel 18,000km from Hawaii to Réunion Islands
2014 / Highlighted papers

Birds helped acacia trees travel 18,000km from Hawaii to Réunion Islands

Island biogeography theory predicts that most island species originate from nearby mainland regions and therefore arrive through rare, long-distance dispersal events. How close islands are to mainland regions must therefore be an important factor in determining the make-up of island biotas.

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2 July 2014
Read more about the article Quantifying the impacts of alien species: developing an IUCN list
The different categories in the scheme to classify the impacts of alien species, and the relationships between them.
2014 / Highlighted papers

Quantifying the impacts of alien species: developing an IUCN list

One of the major transformations of the planet from human activities is the redistribution of species to areas outside their native range. These “alien” species have in many cases caused substantial harmful impacts to the recipient environment.

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27 May 2014
Read more about the article Getting the measure of tree invasions
2014 / Highlighted papers

Getting the measure of tree invasions

“If you can't measure it, you can't manage it” is, as with all such well-worn phrases, only partly true. But to adapt another such maxim, while we might be able to make progress without measurement, we do need proof to satisfy everyone else.

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7 March 2014