Edinburgh Napier University

Developmental stages and gut microenvironments influence gut microbiota dynamics in the invasive beetle Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Journal Article

Chouaia, B., Goda, N., Mazza, G., Alali, S., Florian, F., Gionechetti, F., …Montagna, M. (2019)

Developmental stages and gut microenvironments influence gut microbiota dynamics in the invasive beetle Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Environmental Microbiology, 21(11), 4343-4359. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.14797

Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a highly polyphagous invasive beetle originating from Japan. This insect is highly resilient and able to rapidly adapt t...

Sediment Temperature Impact on Population Structure and Dynamics of the Crab Austruca iranica Pretzmann, 1971 (Crustacea: Ocypodidae) in Subtropical Mangroves of the Persian Gulf

Journal Article

Saeedi, H., Kamrani, E., Nordhaus, I., & Diele, K. (2018)

Sediment Temperature Impact on Population Structure and Dynamics of the Crab Austruca iranica Pretzmann, 1971 (Crustacea: Ocypodidae) in Subtropical Mangroves of the Persian Gulf. Wetlands, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-018-0998-5

Ocypodid crabs inhabit intertidal sandy/muddy flats of tropical and sub-tropical mangroves. Iran has three species of the genus Austruca. In contrast to A. sindensis and A. la...

Estimating pollinator performance of visitors to the self-incompatible crop-plant Brassica rapa by single visit deposition and pollen germination: a comparison of methods

Journal Article

Patchett, R., Ballantyne, G., & Willmer, P. (2017)

Estimating pollinator performance of visitors to the self-incompatible crop-plant Brassica rapa by single visit deposition and pollen germination: a comparison of methods. Journal of Pollination Ecology, 21(3), 78-85

Estimating the pollen-deposition effectiveness of flower visitors is fundamental to understanding their performance as pollinators. While estimates of visitation rates, pollen...

Urban ponds as an aquatic biodiversity resource in modified landscapes

Journal Article

Hill, M. J., Biggs, J., Thornhill, I., Briers, R. A., Gledhill, D. G., White, J. C., …Hassall, C. (2017)

Urban ponds as an aquatic biodiversity resource in modified landscapes. Global Change Biology, 23(3), 986-999. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13401

Urbanization is a global process contributing to the loss and fragmentation of natural habitats. Many studies have focused on the biological response of terrestrial taxa and h...

Structural and functional indices show similar performance in marine ecosystem quality assessment

Journal Article

Culhane, F. E., Briers, R. A., Tett, P., & Fernandes, T. F. (2014)

Structural and functional indices show similar performance in marine ecosystem quality assessment. Ecological Indicators, 43, 271-280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2014.03.009

Reliable ecosystem quality assessment of marine environments is increasingly important due to mounting pressures attributable to human activities. Biotic indices are widely us...

Why flower visitation is a poor proxy for pollination: measuring single-visit pollen deposition, with implications for pollination networks and conservation

Journal Article

King, C., Ballantyne, G., & Willmer, P. G. (2013)

Why flower visitation is a poor proxy for pollination: measuring single-visit pollen deposition, with implications for pollination networks and conservation. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 4(9), 811-818. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210x.12074

Summary The relative importance of specialized and generalized plant-pollinator relationships is contentious, yet analyses usually avoid direct measures of pollinator quality ...

Floral visitors and ant scent marks: noticed but not used?

Journal Article

Ballantyne, G., & Willmer, P. (2012)

Floral visitors and ant scent marks: noticed but not used?. Ecological Entomology, 37(5), 402-409. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2311.2012.01378.x

1. Bee behaviour when visiting flowers is mediated by diverse chemical cues and signals, from the flower itself and from previous visitors to the flower. Flowers recently visi...

Nectar Theft and Floral Ant-Repellence: A Link between Nectar Volume and Ant-Repellent Traits?

Journal Article

Ballantyne, G., & Willmer, P. (2012)

Nectar Theft and Floral Ant-Repellence: A Link between Nectar Volume and Ant-Repellent Traits?. PLOS ONE, 7(8), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0043869

As flower visitors, ants rarely benefit a plant. They are poor pollinators, and can also disrupt pollination by deterring other flower visitors, or by stealing nectar. Some pl...

Resightings of humpback whales in Hawaiian waters over spans of 10-32 years: Site fidelity, sex ratios, calving rates, female demographics, and the dynamics of social and behavioral roles of individuals

Journal Article

Herman, L. M., Pack, A. A., Rose, K., Craig, A., Herman, E. Y. K., Hakala, S., & Milette, A. (2011)

Resightings of humpback whales in Hawaiian waters over spans of 10-32 years: Site fidelity, sex ratios, calving rates, female demographics, and the dynamics of social and behavioral roles of individuals. Marine Mammal Science, 27(4), 736-768. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00441.x

From a database of approximately 5,000 Hawaiian humpback whales identified photographically between 1976 and 2010, we extracted 71 males and 39 females having resighting spans...

Quantifying two-dimensional dichromatic patterns using a photographic technique: case study on the shore crab (Carcinus maenas L.)

Journal Article

Todd, P. A., Ladle, R. J., Briers, R. A., & Brunton, A. (2005)

Quantifying two-dimensional dichromatic patterns using a photographic technique: case study on the shore crab (Carcinus maenas L.). Ecological research, 20(4), 497-501. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-004-0034-5

Contrasting patterns of pigmentation, such as those associated with crypsis and aposematism, are common in many taxa. In order to determine why patterning varies among individ...