McGeoch M
Recent Submissions
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The abundance structure of Azorella selago Hook. f. on sub-Antarctic Marion Island: testing the peak and tail hypothesis
(Springer, 2015)Understanding the spatial distribution of organisms and the factors underlying it are key questions in ecology. Two competing hypotheses exist about the form of spatial variation in abundance. The abundant centre hypothesis ... -
The role and value of conservation agency research
(Springer, 2015-06)Governments charge their conservation agencies to safeguard biodiversity through protected areas and threat mitigation. Increasingly, conservation management and policy need to be supported by rigorous evidence provided ... -
Are road verges corridors for weed invasion? Insights from the fine-scale spatial genetic structure of Raphanus raphanistrum
(European Weed Research Society, 2013)Raphanus raphanistrum (Brassicaceae) is considered amongst the world’s worst agricultural weeds. We address critical issues in its management by studying the pathway of colonisation at local scales. For this, we assessed ... -
Human activities, propagule pressure and alien plants in the sub-Antarctic: Tests of generalities and evidence in support of management
(Elsevier Ltd., 2013)Despite concerns about the richness of plant invaders on islands, and their likely effects on local systems, impacts of these species seem to be small. However, this may be due to an absence of information on impacts, ... -
Uncertainty in invasive alien species listing
(Ecological Society of AmericaEcological Society of America, 2012)Lists of invasive alien species (IAS) are essential for preventing, controlling, and reporting on the state of biological invasions. However, these lists suffer from a range of errors, with serious consequences for their ... -
Climate change and elevational diversity capacity: Do weedy species take up the slack?
(Royal Society, 2012)Climate change leads to species range shifts and consequently to changes in diversity. For many systems, increases in diversity capacity have been forecast, with spare capacity to be taken up by a pool of weedy species moved ... -
Plant dispersal in the sub-Antarctic inferred from anisotropic genetic structure
(Blackwell Publishing, 2012)Climatic conditions and landscape features often strongly affect species’ local distribution patterns, dispersal, reproduction and survival and may therefore have considerable impacts on species’ fine-scale spatial genetic ... -
Plant dispersal in the sub-Antarctic inferred from anisotropic genetic structure
(Blackwell Publishing, 2012)Climatic conditions and landscape features often strongly affect species’ local distribution patterns, dispersal, reproduction and survival and may therefore have considerable impacts on species’ fine-scale spatial genetic ... -
Global biodiversity: Indicators of recent declines
(AAAS, 2010)In 2002, world leaders committed, through the Convention on Biological Diversity, to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. We compiled 31 indicators to report on progress toward this ... -
Parasite-specific variation and the extent of male-biased parasitism; an example with a South African rodent and ectoparasitic arthropods
(Cambridge University Press, 2010)We asked whether the occurrence and the extent of host gender-biased parasitism vary among higher parasite taxa, among individual species within these taxa and within parasite species among localities. To answer this ... -
Parasite-specific variation and the extent of male-biased parasitism; an example with a South African rodent and ectoparasitic arthropods
(Cambridge University Press, 2010)We asked whether the occurrence and the extent of host gender-biased parasitism vary among higher parasite taxa, among individual species within these taxa and within parasite species among localities. To answer this ... -
Interaction intensity and importance along two stress gradients: adding shape to the stress-gradient hypothesis
(Springer-Verlag, 2010)The stress-gradient hypothesis (SGH) predicts that the community-wide prevalence of positive interactions, relative to negative interactions, is greater under more severe environmental conditions. Because the frequency ... -
Leaf miner and plant galler species richness on Acacia: relative importance of plant traits and climate
(Springer-Verlag, 2010)Diversity patterns of herbivores have been related to climate, host plant traits, host plant distribution and evolutionary relationships individually. However, few studies have assessed the relative contributions of a ... -
Spatial scaling and transition in pneumatophore arthropod communities
(2010)Although most ecological variables are scale-dependent, few studies cover a broad range of spatial scales. Here, we consider South African mangrove pneumatophore arthropod communities (mites, crustaceans and insects), ... -
Global indicators of biological invasion: species numbers, biodiversity impact and policy responses
(Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2010)Aim Invasive alien species (IAS) pose a significant threat to biodiversity. The Convention on Biological Diversity’s 2010 Biodiversity Target, and the associated indicator for IAS, has stimulated globally coordinated ... -
Using scale–area curves to quantify the distribution, abundance and range expansion potential of an invasive species
(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2010)Aim: Invasive species distribution and abundance data are essential for management decisions on mitigating impacts but is seldom available. Here, we use scale–area curves to assess the distribution, abundance and consequent ... -
Contrasting nurse plants and nurse rocks: The spatial distribution of seedlings of two sub-Antarctic species
(2010)Positive plant interactions, such as those associated with nurse plants, have been suggested to dominate over negative interactions in environments with high abiotic stress. Here we demonstrate that the sub- Antarctic ... -
Spatial variation in structural damage to a keystone plant species in the sub-Antarctic : interactions between Azorella selago and invasive house mice
(Antarctic Science LtdCambridge University Press, 2009)On Southern Ocean islands the effects of the house mouse on plants are not well understood. In particular, its influence at the landscape scale has largely been overlooked. To address this issue, we systematically mapped ... -
The detection of spatial structure in populations and communities: An empirical case study
(Centre d'etudes nordique, Universite Laval, 2009)The presence of spatial autocorrelation in abundance and richness patterns has been recognised for some time. Evaluation of the tools to quantify patterning often uses simulated data that may be unrealistic or empirical ... -
Fine scale variability in soil frost dynamics surrounding cushions of the dominant vascular plant species (Azorella Selago) on Sub-Antarctic Marion Island
(Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography, 2009)Through changing soil thermal regimes, soil moisture and affecting weathering and erosion processes plants can have an important effect on the physical properties and structure of soils. Such physical soil changes can in ...