Marine reserve effects on fishery profits: a comment on White et al. (2008)

A recent study ( White et al. 2008 ) claimed that fishery profits will often be higher with management that employs no‐take marine reserves than conventional fisheries management alone. However, this conclusion was based on the erroneous assumption that all landed fish have equal value regardless of size, and questionable assumptions regarding density‐dependence. Examination of an age‐structured version of the White et al. (2008) model demonstrates that their results are not robust to these assumptions. Models with more realistic assumptions generally do not indicate increased fishery yield or profits from marine reserves except for overfished stocks.     

The age of the Middle Ordovician Winneshiek Shale: reply to a critical review by Lindskog & Young (2019) of a paper by Bergström et al. (2018a)

A recent review by Lindskog & Young (2019) of a paper published in Lethaia by Bergström et al. (2018a) contains many errors, misleading statements and unsupported opinions. Their review claims that we did not consider biostratigraphy in our efforts to chemostratigraphically date the Winneshiek Shale. That this is incorrect is shown by the fact that Liu et al. (2017), which contains a two-page review of all fossil evidence that has a bearing on the age of the Winneshiek Shale and was written by Bergström, was cited in Bergström et al. (2018a) and used extensively in our chemostratigraphical age assessment of the unit. Interestingly, recent research provides support for our conclusion regarding the age of the Winneshiek Shale, indicating that at least its upper part is coeval with the Nicholsonograptus fasciculatus Graptolite Zone and the Eoplacognathus pseudoplanus Conodont Zone. In constructing their arguments, Lindskog & Young (2019) provide no alternative interpretations or corrections of scientific value.     

Improving Bayesian isotope mixing models: a response to Jackson et al. (2009)

We recently described a Bayesian framework for stable isotope mixing models and provided a software tool, MixSIR, for conducting such analyses (Ecol. Lett., 2008; 11 :470). Jackson et al. (Ecol. Lett., 2009; 12:E1) criticized the performance of our software based on tests using simulated data. However, their simulation data were flawed, rendering claims of erroneous behaviour inaccurate. A re‐evaluation of the MixSIR source code did, however, uncover two minor coding errors, which we have fixed. When data are correctly simulated according to eqns  (1)–(4) in Jackson et al. (2009) , MixSIR consistently and accurately estimated the proportional contribution of prey to a predator diet, and was surprisingly robust to additional unquantified error. Jackson et al. (2009) also suggested we use a Dirichlet prior on the source proportion parameters, which we agree with. Finally, Jackson et al. (2009) propose adding additional error parameters to our mixing model framework. We caution that such increases in model complexity should be evaluated based on data support.     

Compound grips in tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp and Sapajus libidinosus)

An experimental study with captive individuals and study of video recordings of wild monkeys explored whether and how tufted capuchin monkeys use onehand to hold one or more objects with multiple grips (compound grips). A task designed to elicit compound grip was presented to five captive tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp). The monkeys held one to four balls in onehand and dropped the balls individually into a vertical tube. Multiple simple grips and independent digit movements enabled separate control of multiple objects in one hand. Monkeys always supported the wrist on the horizontal edge of the tube before releasing the ball. Increasing the number of balls decreased the likelihood that the monkeys managed the task. Wild bearded capuchins (Sapajus libidinosus) used compound grips spontaneously to store multiple food items. Compound grips have been described in macaques, gorillas, chimpanzees, and humans, and now in a New World primate. We predict that any primate species that exhibits precision grips and independent digit movement can perform compound grips. Our findings suggest many aspects of compound grip that await investigation.     

A comparison of prehension force control in young and elderly individuals

Age-related changes were investigated in the control of precision grip force during the lifting and holding of objects with slippery (silk) and nonslippery (sandpaper) surface textures. Two groups of active elderly adults comprising individuals aged 69–79 years (n = 10), and 80–93 years (n = 10) together with a group of young adults aged 18–32 years (n = 10) participated in the study. Each subject lifted a free weight (3N) during which time gripping and lifting forces were monitored. The elderly subjects, especially the individuals in the 81–93 year group, had a larger number of fluctuations in the grip force rate curve and longer force application time than the younger subjects during lifting. The effect of prior experience with one surface on the following different surface was more pronounced in the younger subjects than the elderly subjects. These results suggest a decline in programmed force production capacity with increased age. The fingers of the elderly subjects were more slippery and they exhibited a greater safety margin of the grip force while holding the object than the younger adults. The overall results demonstrated that precision grip force control capacity declines with advancing age. It is suggested that this decline is due mainly to age-related changes in skin properties, and cutaneous sensibility functions, and in part to central nervous system function.     

High dose refuge strategies and genetically modified crops – reply to Tabashnik et al.

Cultivating non‐toxic conventional crops (refuges) in the proximity to transgenic crops that produce Bacillus thuringienesis (Bt) toxins is widely recommended to delay pest adaptation to these toxins. Using a spatially structured model of resistance evolution, Vacher and co‐workers (Vacher, C., Bourguet, D., Rousset, F., Chevillon, C. & Hochberg, M.E. 2003. J. Evol. Biol. 16 : 378–387.) show that the percentage of refuge fields required for the sustainable control of pests can be reduced through intermediate levels of refuge field aggregation and by lowering the toxin dose produced by Bt plants. Tabashnik, B.E., Gould, F. & Carrière, Y. (2004 J. Evol. Biol doi: 10.1111/j1420–9101.2004.00695.x) call into question the results of Vacher et al. (2003) concerning the effect of toxin dose. They argue that these results arise from invalid assumptions about larval concentration–mortality responses for the insect considered, the cotton pest Heliothis virescens. We show here that the models presented by Vacher et al. (2003) and Tabashnik et al. (2004) both show inaccuracies in their definitions of genotypic fitness. The level of dominance estimated by Tabashnik et al. (2004) from larval mortality rates data is irrelevant to resistance evolution, and the fitness cost of resistance evolution, and the fitness cost of resistance is inaccurately integrated into their framework. Neverthless, the comments of Tabashnik et al. (2004) are very helpful in elucidating the definitions of genotypic fitness used in Vacher et al. (2003) and in pointing out the essential factors in predicting the evolution of insect resistance to Bt transgenic crops, namely, accurate estimations of the fitness cost of resistance, of the dominance level of this cost, and of the variations in the dominance level of the advantage conferred by the resistance with Bt toxin dose.     

Standing and flowing: the complex origins of adaptive variation

A population faced with a new selection pressure can only adapt if appropriate genetic variation is available. This genetic variation might come from new mutations or from gene exchange with other populations or species, or it might already segregate in the population as standing genetic variation (which might itself have arisen from either mutation or gene flow). Understanding the relative importance of these sources of adaptive variation is a fundamental issue in evolutionary genetics (Orr & Betancourt 2001 ; Barrett & Schluter 2008 ; Gladyshev et al. 2008 ) and has practical implications for conservation, plant and animal breeding, biological control and infectious disease prevention (e.g. Robertson 1960 ; Soulé & Wilcox 1980 ; Prentis et al. 2008 ; Pennings 2012 ). In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Roesti et al. ( 2014 ) make an important contribution to this longstanding debate.     

Distance from forest edge affects bee pollinators in oilseed rape fields

Wild pollinators have been shown to enhance the pollination of Brassica napus (oilseed rape) and thus increase its market value. Several studies have previously shown that pollination services are greater in crops adjoining forest patches or other seminatural habitats than in crops completely surrounded by other crops. In this study, we investigated the specific importance of forest edges in providing potential pollinators in B. napus fields in two areas in France. Bees were caught with yellow pan traps at increasing distances from both warm and cold forest edges into B. napus fields during the blooming period. A total of 4594 individual bees, representing six families and 83 taxa, were collected. We found that both bee abundance and taxa richness were negatively affected by the distance from forest edge. However, responses varied between bee groups and edge orientations. The ITD (Inter‐Tegular distance) of the species, a good proxy for bee foraging range, seems to limit how far the bees can travel from the forest edge. We found a greater abundance of cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.) of Andrena spp. and Andrena spp. males at forest edges, which we assume indicate suitable nesting sites, or at least mating sites, for some abundant Andrena species and their parasites (Fig.  1 ). Synthesis and Applications. This study provides one of the first examples in temperate ecosystems of how forest edges may actually act as a reservoir of potential pollinators and directly benefit agricultural crops by providing nesting or mating sites for important early spring pollinators. Policy‐makers and land managers should take forest edges into account and encourage their protection in the agricultural matrix to promote wild bees and their pollination services.

Figure 1 Open in figure viewer PowerPoint Left, a Nomada sp male; right, an Andrena sp male. Caption Left, a Nomada sp male; right, an Andrena sp male.

Introduction

Pollinators play an important functional role in most terrestrial ecosystems and provide a key ecosystem service (Ashman et al. 2004 ). Insects, particularly bees, are the primary pollinators for the majority of the world's angiosperms (Ollerton et al. 2012 ). Without this service, many interconnected species and processes functioning within both wild and agricultural ecosystems could collapse (Kearns et al. 1998 ). Brassica napus (oilseed rape, OSR) represents the most widespread entomophilous crop in France with almost 1.5 Mha in 2010 (FAOSTAT August 10th, 2012). Results differ between varieties, but even though it seems that OSR produces 70% of its fruits through self‐pollination (Downey et al. 1970 in Mesquida and Renard 1981 ), native bees are also known to contribute to its pollination (Morandin and Winston 2005 ; Jauker et al. 2012 ). Bee pollination leads to improved yields (Steffan‐Dewenter 2003b ; Sabbahi et al. 2005 ) and to a shorter blooming period (Sabbahi et al. 2006 ), thus increasing the crop's market value (Bommarco et al. 2012 ). The most widely used species in crop pollination is the honeybee (Apis mellifera L) which is sometimes assumed to be sufficient for worldwide crop pollination (Aebi and Neumann 2011 ). However, this assertion has been questioned by different authors (Ollerton et al. 2012 ), and several studies show that many wild bees are also efficient pollinators of crops (Klein et al. 2007 ; Winfree et al. 2008 ; Breeze et al. 2011 ). Recently, Garibaldi et al. ( 2013 ) found positive associations of fruit set with wild‐insect visits to flowers in 41 crop systems worldwide. They demonstrate that honeybees do not maximize pollination, nor can they fully replace the contributions of diverse, wild‐insect assemblages to fruit set for a broad range of crops and agricultural practices on all continents with farmland. Unfortunately, not only are honey bees declining due to a variety of different causes (vanEngelsdorp et al. 2009 ), wild bee populations are also dwindling (Potts et al. 2010 ). Their decline has been documented in two Western European countries (Britain and the Netherlands) by comparing data obtained before and after 1980 (Biesmeijer et al. 2006 ). These losses have mostly been attributed to the use of agrochemicals, the increase in monocultures, the loss of seminatural habitat and deforestation (Steffan‐Dewenter et al. 2002 ; Steffan‐Dewenter and Westphal 2008 ; Brittain and Potts 2011 ). Several studies have shown the importance of natural or seminatural habitats in sustaining pollinator populations or pollination services close to fruit crops (Steffan‐Dewenter 2003a ; Kremen et al. 2004 ; Greenleaf and Kremen 2006a ; Carvalheiro et al. 2010 ). Morandin and Winston ( 2006 ) presented a cost–benefit model that estimates profit in OSR agroecosystems with different proportions of uncultivated land. They calculated that yield and profit could be maximized with 30% of the land left uncultivated within 750 m of field edges. Other studies have demonstrated a negative impact of the distance from forests on pollination services or bee abundance and richness both in tropical ecosystems (De Marco and Coelho 2004 ; Blanche et al. 2006 ; Chacoff and Aizen 2006 ) and in temperate ecosystems (Hawkins 1965 ; Taki et al. 2007 ; Arthur et al. 2010 ; Watson et al. 2011 ). These studies all suggest that natural or seminatural habitats are important sources of pollinators, probably because they provide “partial habitats” (Westrich 1996 ) such as complementary mating, foraging, nesting, and nesting materials sites that bees need to complete their life cycle. In this study, we focused on the effect of distance to forest edge on bee assemblages in OSR ecosystems. Forest edges could provide one or more important partial habitats for different bee species in agricultural landscapes, in particular when associated with a mass‐flowering crop such as OSR (Le Feon et al. 2011 ). For example, the availability of untilled soil and dead branches might provide ground‐nesting and cavity‐nesting bee species with numerous nesting sites. Moreover, during spring at least, the understory and the forest edge can provide cover containing flowering plants and wild trees such as Prunus spp, Castanea sativa, or Salix spp and thereby allow bees to find alternative floral resources. During spring 2010 and 2011, in two areas in France, we examined wild bee abundance and taxa richness both along forest edges and inside OSR fields at different distances from the forest. Like other taxa, bees respond to environmental variables according to their biologic traits that determine access and requirements for nesting, mating, and forage resources, species mobility or physiological tolerance. Specifically, we hypothesized that (1) bee abundance, species richness, and composition of bee communities within the crop field are dependent on the distance from the forest edge (where complementary floral resources, nesting sites, shelters, etc. can be found) and on the orientation of the forest edge; (2) the identity of bees in the crop is related to their foraging range which we measured with the ITD (Inter‐Tegular distance); (3) the forest edge may be the nesting or mating sites for cavity‐nesting or ground‐nesting bees such as Osmia spp or Andrena spp which are important groups of potential early spring pollinators for OSR.     

The cranial morphology of Kayentachelys,an Early Jurassic cryptodire,and the early history of turtles

Gaffney, E.S. and Jenkins, F.A., Jr. 2010. The cranial morphology of Kayentachelys, an Early Jurassic cryptodire, and the early history of turtles. — Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 91 : 335–368 The skull morphology of Kayentachelys aprix Gaffney et al., 1987 , a turtle from the Early Jurassic Kayenta Fm of northern Arizona, demonstrates the presence of cryptodiran synapomorphies in agreement with Gaffney et al. (1987, 1991, 2007) , and contrary to the conclusions of Sterli and Joyce (2007) , Joyce (2007) , Sterli (2008) , and Anquetin et al. (2008) . Specific characters found in Kayentachelys and diagnostic of cryptodires include the processus trochlearis oticum, the curved processus pterygoideus externus with a vertical plate, and the prefrontal–vomer contact, which are confirmed as absent in the outgroups, specifically the Late Triassic Proganochelys. The Joyce (2007) analysis suffers from the reduction of the signal from skull characters, with a consequently greater reliance on shell characters, resulting in pleurodires being resolved at various positions within the cryptodires. Kayentachelys reveals what a primitive cryptodire would be expected to look like: a combination of primitive and derived characters, with the fewer derived characters providing the best test of its relationships to other turtles. Although incompletely known, the Mid‐Late Jurassic Condorchelys, Heckeremys, and Eileanchelys may be early cryptodires close to Kayentachelys. We confirm the Late Triassic Proterochersis as a pleurodire, dating the pleurodire–cryptodire split as Late Triassic or earlier.     

Exploiting plants for glutathione (GSH) production: Uncoupling GSH synthesis from cellular controls results in unprecedented GSH accumulation

Glutathione (GSH) is a key factor for cellular redox homeostasis and tolerance against abiotic and biotic stress ( May et al., 1998 ; Noctor et al., 1998a ). Previous attempts to increase GSH content in plants have met with moderate success ( Rennenberg et al., 2007 ), largely because of tight and multilevel control of its biosynthesis ( Rausch et al., 2007 ). Here, we report the in planta expression of the bifunctional γ‐glutamylcysteine ligase—glutathione synthetase enzyme from Streptococcus thermophilus (StGCL‐GS), which is shown to be neither redox‐regulated nor sensitive to feedback inhibition by GSH. Transgenic tobacco plants expressing StGCL‐GS under control of a constitutive promoter reveal an extreme accumulation of GSH in their leaves (up to 12 μmol GSH/gFW, depending on the developmental stage), which is more than 20‐ to 30‐fold above the levels observed in wild‐type (wt) plants and which can be even further increased by additional sulphate fertilization. Surprisingly, this dramatically increased GSH production has no impact on plant growth while enhancing plant tolerance to abiotic stress. Furthermore, StGCL‐GS‐expressing plants are a novel, cost‐saving source for GSH production, being competitive with current yeast‐based systems ( Li et al., 2004 ).     

Mutually exclusive phylogenomic inferences at the root of the angiosperms: Amborella is supported as sister and Observed Variability is biased

Identifying the extant sister group to the remaining angiosperms has been a subject of long debate, for which the primary currently competing hypotheses are that Amborella alone is sister or that the clade (Amborella, Nymphaeales) is sister. Both Xi et al. (Syst. Biol., 2014, 63, 919) and Goremykin et al. (Syst. Biol., 2015, 64, 879) identified Amborella as sister in concatenation‐based phylogenetic analyses of their 310 nuclear genes and 78 plastid genes, respectively. But after application of Observed Variability‐based character subsampling, both papers reported the clade (Amborella, Nymphaeales) as sister. Hence alternative character‐sampling strategies may produce highly supported yet mutually exclusive phylogenetic inferences when applied to nuclear and plastid genomic data sets. Edwards et al. (Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 2016, 94, 447) defended Observed Variability and the (Amborella, Nymphaeales) hypothesis. In this study I respond to Edwards et al.'s (Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 2016, 94, 447) criticisms of Simmons and Gatesy (Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 2015, 91, 98) and use Edwards et al.'s (Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., 2016, 94, 447) and Goremykin et al.'s (Syst. Biol., 2015, 64, 879) own data to demonstrate that the best‐supported phylogenetic hypothesis is that Amborella alone is sister and that the competing evidence in favour of the (Amborella, Nymphaeales) hypothesis is caused primarily by methodological artifacts (biased character deletion by Observed Variability, MP‐EST and STAR generally not being robust to the highly divergent and mis‐rooted gene trees that were used).     

Demystifying the RAD fad

We are writing in response to the population and phylogenomics meeting review by Andrews & Luikart ( 2014 ) entitled ‘Recent novel approaches for population genomics data analysis’. Restriction‐site‐associated DNA (RAD) sequencing has become a powerful and useful approach in molecular ecology, with several different published methods now available to molecular ecologists, none of which can be considered the best option in all situations. A&L report that the original RAD protocol of Miller et al. ( 2007 ) and Baird et al. ( 2008 ) is superior to all other RAD variants because putative PCR duplicates can be identified (see Baxter et al. 2011 ), thereby reducing the impact of PCR artefacts on allele frequency estimates (Andrews & Luikart 2014 ). In response, we (i) challenge the assertion that the original RAD protocol minimizes the impact of PCR artefacts relative to that of other RAD protocols, (ii) present additional biases in RADseq that are at least as important as PCR artefacts in selecting a RAD protocol and (iii) highlight the strengths and weaknesses of four different approaches to RADseq which are a representative sample of all RAD variants: the original RAD protocol (mbRAD, Miller et al. 2007 ; Baird et al. 2008 ), double digest RAD (ddRAD, Peterson et al. 2012 ), ezRAD (Toonen et al. 2013 ) and 2bRAD (Wang et al. 2012 ). With an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of different RAD protocols, researchers can make a more informed decision when selecting a RAD protocol.     

The impact of epistatic selection on the genomic traces of selection

The rapid accumulation of genomic data has led to an explosion of studies searching for signals of past selection left within DNA sequences. Yet the majority of theoretical studies investigating the traces of selection have assumed a simple form of selection, without interactions among selectively fixed sites. Fitness interactions—‘epistasis’—are commonplace, however, and take on a myriad of forms ( Whitlock et al. 1995 ; Segrèet al. 2005 ; Phillips 2008 ). It is thus important to determine how such epistasis would influence selective sweeps. On p. 5018 of this issue, Takahasi (2009) explores the effect of epistasis on genetic variation neighbouring two sites that interact in determining fitness, finding that such epistasis has a dramatic impact on the genetic variability in regions surrounding the interacting sites.     

Morphological Characterizations of Four Species of Parallelostrombidium (Ciliophora,Oligotrichia), with a Note on the Phylogeny of the Genus

The morphology and phylogeny of four oligotrichid ciliates, Parallelostrombidium paraellipticum sp. n., P. dragescoi sp. n., P. jankowskii (Xu et al. 2009) comb. n., and P. kahli (Xu et al. 2009) comb. n., are described or redescribed based on live observation, protargol stained material, and SSU rRNA gene sequences. The new species P. paraellipticum sp. n. is characterized by its obovoidal cell shape, adoral zone composed of 17–21 collar, 9–11 buccal, and two thigmotactic membranelles, and extrusomes attached in one row along the girdle kinety. The new species P. dragescoi sp. n. is distinguished from its congeners by its obovoidal cell shape and a lack of thigmotactic membranelles. Based on ciliary patterns recognizable in the original slides, Omegastrombidium jankowskii Xu et al. 2009 and O. kahli Xu et al. 2009 should be transferred to the genus Parallelostrombidium Agatha 2004. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rRNA gene sequence data demonstrate that all four new sequences cluster with previously described congeners. The genus Parallelostrombidium is separated into two clusters, suggesting its non‐monophyly and probably corresponding to the two subgenera proposed by Agatha and Strüder‐Kypke (2014), as well as their morphological difference (cell dorsoventrally flattened vs. unflattened).     

The susceptibility and resilience of corals to thermal stress: adaptation,acclimatization or both?

Coral reefs are threatened with worldwide decline from multiple factors, chief among them climate change ( Hughes et al. 2003 ; Hoegh‐Guldberg et al. 2007 ). The foundation of coral reefs is an endosymbiosis between coral hosts and their resident photosynthetic dinoflagellates (genus Symbiodinium) and this partnership (or holobiont) is exquisitely sensitive to temperature stress. The primary response to hyperthermic stress is coral bleaching, which is the loss of symbionts from coral tissues—the collapse of the symbiosis ( Weis 2008 ). Bleaching can result in increased coral mortality which can ultimately lead to severely compromised reef health ( Hoegh‐Guldberg et al. 2007 ). Despite this grim picture of coral bleaching and reef degradation, coral susceptibility to stress and bleaching is highly variable ( Coles & Brown 2003 ). There is enormous interest in discovering the factors that determine susceptibility in order to help us predict if and how corals will survive a period of rapid global warming. In this issue, Barshis et al. (2010) examine the ecophysiological and genetic basis for differential responses to stress in Porites lobata in American Samoa. They combine a reciprocal transplant experimental design between two neighbouring, but very different reef environments with state‐of‐the‐art physiological biomarkers and molecular genetic markers for both partners to tease apart the contribution of environmental and fixed influences on stress susceptibility. Their results suggest the presence of a fixed, rather than environmental effect on expression of ubiquitin conjugates, one key marker for physiological stress response. In addition, the authors show genetic differentiation in host populations between the two sites suggesting strong selection for physiological adaptation to differing environments across small geographic distances. These conclusions point the study of coral resilience and susceptibility in a new direction.     

Molecular evolution of Cinetochilum and Sathrophilus (Protozoa,Ciliophora, Oligohymenophorea), two genera of ciliates with morphological affinities to scuticociliates

Zhang, Q., Miao, M., Strüder‐Kypke, M. C., Al‐Rasheid, K. A. S., Al‐Farraj, S. A. & Song, W. (2011). Molecular evolution of Cinetochilum and Sathrophilus (Protozoa, Ciliophora, Oligohymenophorea), two genera of ciliates with morphological affinities to scuticociliates. —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 317–325. The ciliate order Loxocephalida sensu Li et al. (2006) has been considered to be systematically uncertain within the subclass Scuticociliatia. Loxocephalids display mixed morphological features and morphogenetic patterns that are found in two different oligohymenophorean subclasses: scuticociliates and hymenostomes. To reveal their phylogenetic positions, molecular information on this group is urgently needed but still inadequate. In the present study, we have sequenced the small subunit rRNA gene of two newly described loxocephalids, Cinetochilum ovale Gong & Song 2008; and Sathrophilus planus Fan et al. 2010; which have never been discussed based on molecular analysis. Results show: (i) all phylogenetic trees are nearly identical in placing Cinetochilum closest to the subclass Apostomatia and form a monophyletic group divergent from the typical scuticociliates, (ii) the genus Sathrophilus, together with Anoplophrya, a poorly known Astomatia, forms a peripheral branch separated from the scuticociliatian assemblage and (iii) the affiliation of the loxocephalid genera sensu Li et al. (2006) is not confirmed due to a dispersion in four deeply diverged clades. In addition, the polyphyly of the genus Cyclidium, shown in previous studies, is confirmed by our phylogenetic analyses and supported by the approximately unbiased test based on the new database in this work.     

Context is key: A comment on Herczeg et al. 2019

In the last several years, there has been a surge in the number of studies addressing the causes and consequences of among‐individual variation in cognitive ability and behavioural plasticity. Here, we use a recent publication by Herczeg et al. (2019: 32(3), 218–226) to highlight three shortcomings common to this newly emerging field. In their study, Herczeg et al. attempted to link variation in cognitive ability and behavioural plasticity by testing whether selection lines of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) that differ in relative brain size also differ in behavioural plasticity, as might be expected if the costs to plasticity are predominantly derived from the cost of developing large brains. First, residual brain size may not be a suitable proxy for ‘cognitive ability’. Recent work has shown that intraspecific variation in cognitive ability can be better understood by considering variation in the specific brain areas responsible for the relevant behaviours as opposed to whole‐brain mass. Second, the measure of behavioural plasticity, habituation, is unlikely to fulfil the assumptions that plasticity is both adaptive and costly. Finally, we point out several misconceptions regarding animal personality that continue to contribute to the choice of traits that are not well aligned with study objectives. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying among‐individual variation in cognition and behavioural plasticity within populations requires integration between behavioural ecology and comparative cognition, and the study system developed by Herczeg et al. has the potential to provide important mechanistic insights. We hope that by articulating and critically appraising the underlying assumptions that are common in these traditionally separate disciplines, a strong foundation can emerge to allow for more fruitful integration of these fields.     

Identification and characterization of microsatellites loci in Brycon opalinus (Cuvier, 1819) (Characiforme,Characidae, Bryconiae)

Brycon species are present in various basins in Brazil and were or still are part of commercial fisheries and aquaculture activities ( Ferreira et al. 1996 , Mendonça 1994 ). Despite the importance of this group of fish, natural populations of some Brycon species are endangered ( Lins et al. 1997 ). Here, we describe the characterization of seven microsatellite loci that will be useful for the genetic studies in natural and captive populations for these and other species of Brycon.     

Pushing north one bottleneck at a time: site frequency spectra tell the history of Sitka spruce

Reconstructing the history of populations is a longstanding goal of molecular ecologists. In addition to a better understanding of the past, it is hoped that this knowledge would also facilitate predictions regarding species’ responses to future events such as climate change. The traditional way of doing this is through the fossil record, but these historical records are often incomplete. Inferring historical demography from patterns of nucleotide variability can help to fill these gaps. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Holliday et al. (2010) glimpse into the demographic past of Sitka spruce, Picea sitchensis, an economically and ecologically important species native to northwestern United States and Canada, by examining the site frequency spectrum (SFS) of 153 loci in six populations covering the species entire range.