Collection
Special Issue: Dispersal in small organisms
In 1975, Daniel Otis Wolfenbarger published Factors Affecting Dispersal Distances of Small Organisms. Although reviews were generally positive, Dr. Ronald J. Prokopy lamented some omissions particularly with regard to analysis and synthesis of the massive amount of data compiled. In his review, Dr. Prokopy mentioned that Wolfenbarger was hinting at a follow-up volume. This volume was never written, and this special issue will revisit the theme on the 50th anniversary of the original publication.
Dr. Wolfenbarger focused on small organisms as macroorganism dispersal was well studied. Similarly, as in his book, this special issue will cover viruses, bacteria, plants, fungus, and insects. Dispersal is still a major research initiative. Restricting to small organisms will focus the discussion while providing a range of papers on taxa that share similar challenges to dispersal. This solicitation calls for papers on behavior, ecology, genetics, and evolution that deal with factors promoting and restricting dispersal. The effects on dispersal for landscape connectivity, distributions, invasions, host diversity, and speciation are of particular interest.
We seek Research Articles, Perspectives, and Review Articles for this special issue. We especially encourage research groups from underrepresented regions to submit their work in any of the proposed areas. Students and Early Career Researchers are also encouraged to submit their research.
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Editors
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Aurélie Coulon (PhD)
Associate Professor whose research focuses on movement ecology, Dr. Coulon studies the factors influencing animal movements (especially dispersal) and gene flow, with a particular emphasis on landscape composition and structure. She also studies how human-triggered landscape modifications like fragmentation affect animal movements and the consequences on population functioning and structure. Dr. Coulon's research is mostly based on telemetry (GPS) data and landscape genetics on a range of animal species (amphibians, reptiles, mammals). She is also an Associate Editor of Evolutionary Ecology.
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Frank W. Stearns (PhD)
An evolutionary geneticist whose research focuses on molecular evolution and ecological genetics, Dr. Stearns is primarily interested in speciation, adaptation genetics, and mutation dynamics. Previous studies have involved laboratory research, manipulative field experiments, and computational approaches. He has worked with plants, insects, and bacteria and typically takes mathematical models and tests them under experimental conditions. Dr. Stearns is currently studying the for gene as a candidate gene for dispersal genetics related to speciation in the Enchenopa binotata cryptic species complex.
