All Outputs (29)

How does viewing angle affect the perceived accuracy of Batesian mimicry in hoverflies? (2024)
Journal Article
Baker, L., Taylor, C., Gilbert, F., & Reader, T. (2024). How does viewing angle affect the perceived accuracy of Batesian mimicry in hoverflies?. Behavioral Ecology, 35(5), Article arae054. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arae054

Despite Batesian mimicry often eliciting predator avoidance, many Batesian mimics, such as some species of hoverfly (Syrphidae), are considered to have an “imperfect” resemblance to their model. One possible explanation for the persistence of apparen... Read More about How does viewing angle affect the perceived accuracy of Batesian mimicry in hoverflies?.

The evolution and ecology of multiple antipredator defences (2023)
Journal Article
Kikuchi, D. W., Allen, W. L., Arbuckle, K., Aubier, T. G., Briolat, E. S., Burdfield-Steel, E. R., …Exnerová, A. (2023). The evolution and ecology of multiple antipredator defences. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 36(7), 975-991. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.14192

Prey seldom rely on a single type of antipredator defence, often using multiple defences to avoid predation. In many cases, selection in different contexts may favour the evolution of multiple defences in a prey. However, a prey may use multiple defe... Read More about The evolution and ecology of multiple antipredator defences.

Distribution models calibrated with independent field data predict two million ancient and veteran trees in England (2022)
Journal Article
Nolan, V., Gilbert, F., Reed, T., & Reader, T. (2022). Distribution models calibrated with independent field data predict two million ancient and veteran trees in England. Ecological Applications, 32(8), Article e2695. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2695

Large, citizen-science species databases are powerful resources for predictive species distribution modeling (SDM), yet they are often subject to sampling bias. Many methods have been proposed to correct for this, but there exists little consensus as... Read More about Distribution models calibrated with independent field data predict two million ancient and veteran trees in England.

The effect of agri-environment schemes on Bombus terrestris colony success (2022)
Journal Article
Crowther, L. I., Reader, T., & Gilbert, F. (2022). The effect of agri-environment schemes on Bombus terrestris colony success. Ecological Entomology, 47(5), 911-914. https://doi.org/10.1111/een.13155

As with other species linked to agricultural environments, many bumblebee species are exhibiting significant population declines. This study assesses the success of colonies of Bombus terrestris audax on farms differing in conservation inputs via agr... Read More about The effect of agri-environment schemes on Bombus terrestris colony success.

Solving sampling bias problems in presence–absence or presence-only species data using zero-inflated models (2021)
Journal Article
Nolan, V., Gilbert, F., & Reader, T. (2022). Solving sampling bias problems in presence–absence or presence-only species data using zero-inflated models. Journal of Biogeography, 49(1), 215-232. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14268

Aim: Large databases of species records such as those generated through citizen science projects, archives or museum collections are being used with increasing frequency in species distribution modelling (SDM) for conservation and land management. De... Read More about Solving sampling bias problems in presence–absence or presence-only species data using zero-inflated models.

Mapping the evolution of accurate Batesian mimicry of social wasps in hoverflies (2021)
Journal Article
Leavey, A., Taylor, C. H., Symonds, M. R. E., Gilbert, F., & Reader, T. (2021). Mapping the evolution of accurate Batesian mimicry of social wasps in hoverflies. Evolution, https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.14336

Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) provide an excellent opportunity to study the evolution of Batesian mimicry, where defenseless prey avoid predation by evolving to resemble defended “model” species. Although some hoverflies beautifully resemble their... Read More about Mapping the evolution of accurate Batesian mimicry of social wasps in hoverflies.

Historical maps confirm the accuracy of zero‐inflated model predictions of ancient tree abundance in English wood‐pastures (2021)
Journal Article
Nolan, V., Reader, T., Gilbert, F., & Atkinson, N. (2021). Historical maps confirm the accuracy of zero‐inflated model predictions of ancient tree abundance in English wood‐pastures. Journal of Applied Ecology, 58(11), 2661-2672. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13996

Ancient trees have important ecological, historical and social connections, and are a key source of dead and decaying wood, a globally declining resource. Wood-pastures, which combine livestock grazing, open spaces and scattered trees, are significan... Read More about Historical maps confirm the accuracy of zero‐inflated model predictions of ancient tree abundance in English wood‐pastures.

Seasonal patterns in habitat use by the harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) and other small mammals (2021)
Journal Article
Occhiuto, F., Mohallal, E., Gilfillan, G. D., Lowe, A., & Reader, T. (2021). Seasonal patterns in habitat use by the harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) and other small mammals. Mammalia, 85(4), 325-335. https://doi.org/10.1515/mammalia-2020-0095

The ecology of the harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) is poorly understood, partly because it is a difficult species to monitor. It is commonly associated with reedbeds, where evidence suggests that it experiences strong seasonal fluctuations in abunda... Read More about Seasonal patterns in habitat use by the harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) and other small mammals.

Spatial and seasonal patterns of communal latrine use by spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) reflect a seasonal resource defense strategy (2020)
Journal Article
Vitale, J. D., Jordan, N. R., Gilfillan, G. D., McNutt, J. W., & Reader, T. (2020). Spatial and seasonal patterns of communal latrine use by spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) reflect a seasonal resource defense strategy. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 74(10), Article 120. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-020-02895-0

© 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Abstract: Communal marking sites, or latrines, appear to play an important role in intraspecific communication and social dynamics in a wide range of mammal species. The spatial distribut... Read More about Spatial and seasonal patterns of communal latrine use by spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) reflect a seasonal resource defense strategy.

The Ancient Tree Inventory: a summary of the results of a 15 year citizen science project recording ancient, veteran and notable trees across the UK (2020)
Journal Article
Nolan, V., Reader, T., Gilbert, F., & Atkinson, N. (2020). The Ancient Tree Inventory: a summary of the results of a 15 year citizen science project recording ancient, veteran and notable trees across the UK. Biodiversity and Conservation, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-020-02033-2

© 2020, The Author(s). Ancient, veteran and notable trees are ecologically important keystone organisms and have tangible connections to folklore, history and sociocultural practices. Although found worldwide, few countries have such a rich history o... Read More about The Ancient Tree Inventory: a summary of the results of a 15 year citizen science project recording ancient, veteran and notable trees across the UK.

Application of the Random Encounter Model in citizen science projects to monitor animal densities (2020)
Journal Article
Schaus, J., Uzal, A., Gentle, L. K., Baker, P. J., Bearman-Brown, L., Bullion, S., …Yarnell, R. W. (2020). Application of the Random Encounter Model in citizen science projects to monitor animal densities. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, 6(4), 514-528. https://doi.org/10.1002/rse2.153

© 2020 The Authors. Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Zoological Society of London. Abundance and density are vital metrics for assessing a species’ conservation status and for developing eff... Read More about Application of the Random Encounter Model in citizen science projects to monitor animal densities.

Pre- and post-copulatory traits working in concert: sexual dichromatism in passerines is associated with sperm morphology (2020)
Journal Article
Durrant, K. L., Reader, T., & Symonds, M. R. E. (2020). Pre- and post-copulatory traits working in concert: sexual dichromatism in passerines is associated with sperm morphology. Biology Letters, 16(1), 20190568. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2019.0568

Passerine birds produce costly traits under intense sexual selection, including elaborate sexually dichromatic plumage and sperm morphologies, to compete for fertilizations. Plumage and sperm traits vary markedly among species, but it is unknown if t... Read More about Pre- and post-copulatory traits working in concert: sexual dichromatism in passerines is associated with sperm morphology.

Extinction risk and conservation gaps for Aloe (Asphodelaceae) in the Horn of Africa (2019)
Journal Article
Bachman, S. P., Wilkin, P., Reader, T., Field, R., Weber, O., Nordal, I., & Demissew, S. (2020). Extinction risk and conservation gaps for Aloe (Asphodelaceae) in the Horn of Africa. Biodiversity and Conservation, 29(1), 77–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01870-0

Identification of conservation priorities is essential for conservation planning, especially as the biodiversity crisis develops. We aimed to support conservation prioritisation by addressing knowledge gaps for the genus Aloe in the Horn of Africa. S... Read More about Extinction risk and conservation gaps for Aloe (Asphodelaceae) in the Horn of Africa.

Progress, challenges and opportunities for Red Listing (2019)
Journal Article
Bachman, S. P., Field, R., Reader, T., Raimondo, D., Donaldson, J., Schatz, G. E., & Lughadha, E. N. (2019). Progress, challenges and opportunities for Red Listing. Biological Conservation, 234, 45-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.03.002

Despite its recognition as an important global resource for conservation, the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species only provides assessments of extinction risk for a small and biased subset of known b... Read More about Progress, challenges and opportunities for Red Listing.

Discrete or indiscrete? Redefining the colour polymorphism of the land snail Cepaea nemoralis (2019)
Journal Article
Davison, A., Jackson, H. J., Murphy, E. W., & Reader, T. (2019). Discrete or indiscrete? Redefining the colour polymorphism of the land snail Cepaea nemoralis. Heredity, 123(2), 162-175. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41437-019-0189-z

Biologists have long tried to describe and name the different phenotypes that make up the shell polymorphism of the land snail Cepaea nemoralis. Traditionally, the view is that the ground colour of the shell is one of a few major colour classes, eith... Read More about Discrete or indiscrete? Redefining the colour polymorphism of the land snail Cepaea nemoralis.

The significance of prey avoidance behaviour for the maintenance of a predator colour polymorphism (2018)
Journal Article
Ajuria Ibarra, H., Kinahan, M., Marcetteau, J., Mehigan, A., Ziegelmeier, R., & Reader, T. (2019). The significance of prey avoidance behaviour for the maintenance of a predator colour polymorphism. Behavioral Ecology, 30(1), 240–248. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/ary129

The existence of conspicuous colour polymorphisms in animals provides an ideal opportunity to examine the mechanisms which determine genetic and phenotypic variation in populations. It is well known that directional and negative frequency-dependent s... Read More about The significance of prey avoidance behaviour for the maintenance of a predator colour polymorphism.

Which traits do observers use to distinguish Batesian mimics from their models? (2016)
Journal Article
Taylor, C. H., Warrin, J., Gilbert, F., & Reader, T. (in press). Which traits do observers use to distinguish Batesian mimics from their models?. Behavioral Ecology, 28(2), https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arw166

Batesian mimicry, in which a harmless mimic resembles a more aversive model, can encompass a wide range of morphological traits, but the resemblance is never perfect. Previous studies have used abstract “prey” designs to show that differences in cert... Read More about Which traits do observers use to distinguish Batesian mimics from their models?.

Why many Batesian mimics are inaccurate: evidence from hoverfly colour patterns (2016)
Journal Article
Taylor, C. H., Reader, T., & Gilbert, F. (2016). Why many Batesian mimics are inaccurate: evidence from hoverfly colour patterns. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 283(1842), https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.1585

Mimicry is considered a classic example of the elaborate adaptations that natural selection can produce, yet often similarity between Batesian (harmless) mimics and their unpalatable models is far from perfect. Variation in mimetic accuracy is a puzz... Read More about Why many Batesian mimics are inaccurate: evidence from hoverfly colour patterns.

Hoverflies are imperfect mimics of wasp colouration (2016)
Journal Article
Taylor, C. H., Reader, T., & Gilbert, F. (2016). Hoverflies are imperfect mimics of wasp colouration. Evolutionary Ecology, 30(3), 567-581. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-016-9824-9

Many Batesian mimics are considered to be inaccurate copies of their models, including a number of hoverfly species which appear to be poor mimics of bees and wasps. This inaccuracy is surprising since more similar mimics are expected to deceive pred... Read More about Hoverflies are imperfect mimics of wasp colouration.

Mother-offspring recognition via contact calls in cattle, Bos taurus. (2016)
Journal Article
Padilla de la Torre, M., Briefer, E. F., Ochocki, B. M., McElligott, A. G., & Reader, T. (2016). Mother-offspring recognition via contact calls in cattle, Bos taurus. Animal Behaviour, 114, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.02.004

Individual recognition in gregarious species is fundamental in order to avoid misdirected parental investment. In ungulates, two very different parental care strategies have been identified: ‘hider’ offspring usually lie concealed in vegetation where... Read More about Mother-offspring recognition via contact calls in cattle, Bos taurus..