Integrative Ecology Research Group

Experimental data suggest between population reversal in the condition dependence of two sexually selected traits When viewing mate choice as a process of adaptive evolution, the condition-dependence of sexual ornaments represents a central pillar. Experimental tests of condition-dependence are few and refer to one population per species. The first brood…

Close Males Sing With Dissimilar Minimum Frequency and Repertoire Size in a Wild Passerine The position occupied in social networks influences the success of individuals in many animal species. However, the associations between bird song (an important means of communication) and the relative position in social networks remained understudied. Such…

Nestling Plumage Colour Variation in a Sexually Dichromatic Hole-Nesting Passerine Bird—Potential Functions and Mechanisms Animal colouration is subject to various selection pressures, which often result in the phenomena of sexual dichromatism and gradual colour development. Despite extensive knowledge about adult colouration, the significance of nestling or fledgling plumage colouration in…

Heated Aquatic Shelters Reduce Infection Intensity but Not Prevalence of a Fungal Pathogen in Common Toad Tadpoles The development of in situ applicable mitigation methods against diseases is an area in conservation biology that deserves more attention. The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) causes chytridiomycosis, an infectious disease in amphibians. Although it is…

Context-dependent organization of birdsong: experimental evidence from the collared flycatcher, Ficedula albicollis While acoustic signals are highly flexible, their context-dependent changes remain poorly understood. Birdsong is a model of choice to explore these aspects. As repetition and diversity of song elements largely determine the overall characteristics of signals and such…

Questionnaire improvements in second-generation, multilingual decisionsupport tools for invasion risk screening of non-native taxa As a result of the increasing threats posed by non-native species invasions, there has been a rise in the demand for decision support tools that can more efficiently identify those non-native species likely to become invasive.…

To be, or not to be, a non-native species in non-English languages:gauging terminological consensus amongst invasion biologists In invasion biology, terminological frameworks contribute to the improvement ofeffective communication among scientists, stakeholders, and policy-makers. This isimportant not only for informing policy decisions but also for engaging the broaderpublic in understanding the…