Offshore platforms, subsea pipelines, wells and related fixed structures supporting the oil and gas (O&G) industry are prevalent in oceans across the globe, with many approaching the end of their operational life and requiring decommissioning. Although structures can possess high ecological diversity and productivity, information on how they interact with broader ecological processes remains unclear. Here, we review the curren...

Across the globe, biological invasions have disrupted mutualisms, producing reverberating consequences for ecosystems. Although invasive species frequently trigger mutualism disruptions, few studies have quantified the demographic mechanisms by which mutualism breakdown may generate population effects. In a Kenyan savanna, the invasive big‐headed ant ( Pheidole megacephala ) has disrupted a foundational mutualism between the m...

Aim To test the influence of historical and contemporary environment in shaping the genetic diversity of freshwater fauna we contrast genetic structure in two co‐distributed, but ecologically distinct, rainbowfish; a habitat generalist ( Melanotaenia splendida ) and a habitat specialist ( M. trifasciata ). Location Fishes were sampled from far northern Australia (Queensland and Northern Territory). Methods We used sequence dat...

Ant–plant protection symbioses, in which plants provide food and/or shelter for ants in exchange for protection from herbivory, are model systems for understanding the ecology of mutualism. While interactions between ants, host plants, and herbivores have been intensively studied, we know little about how plant–plant interactions influence the dynamics of these mutualisms, despite strong evidence that plants compete for resour...

Although disturbance theory has been recognized as a useful framework in examining the stability of ant–plant mutualisms, very few studies have examined the effects of fire disturbance on these mutualisms. In myrmecophyte‐dominated savannas, fire and herbivory are key drivers that could influence ant–plant mutualisms by causing complete colony mortality and/or decreasing colony size, which potentially could alter dominance hie...

Genetic data are being generated at unprecedented rates. Policies of many journals, institutions and funding bodies aim to ensure that these data are publicly archived so that published results are reproducible. Additionally, publicly archived data can be ‘repurposed’ to address new questions in the future. In 2011, along with other leading journals in ecology and evolution, Molecular Ecology implemented mandatory public data...

Australia and New Guinea contain high levels of endemism and biodiversity, yet there have been few evaluations of population‐level genetic diversity in fauna occurring throughout the Australo‐Papuan region. Using extensive geographical sampling, we examined and compared the phylogenetic relationships, phylogeography and population structure of Anopheles farauti , An. hinesorum and An. irenicus throughout their ranges in the so...

The North Atlantic intertidal community provides a rich set of organismal and environmental material for the study of ecological genetics. Clearly defined environmental gradients exist at multiple spatial scales: there are broad latitudinal trends in temperature, meso‐scale changes in salinity along estuaries, and smaller scale gradients in desiccation and temperature spanning the intertidal range. The geology and geography of...

Few marine hybrid zones have been studied extensively, the major exception being the hybrid zone between the mussels Mytilus edulis and Mytilus galloprovincialis in southwestern Europe. Here, we focus on two less studied hybrid zones that also involve Mytilus spp.; Mytilus edulis and Mytilus trossulus are sympatric and hybridize on both western and eastern coasts of the Atlantic Ocean. We review the dynamics of hybridization i...

The relative importance of factors that may promote genetic differentiation in marine organisms is largely unknown. Here, contributions to population structure from a biogeographic boundary, geographical distance and the distribution of suitable habitat were investigated in Axoclinus nigricaudus , a small subtidal rock‐reef fish, throughout its range in the Gulf of California. A 408‐bp fragment of the mitochondrial control reg...