An ecosystem approach to fisheries management is a widely recognized goal, but describing and measuring the effects of a fishery on an ecosystem is difficult. Ecological information on the entire catch (all animals removed, whether retained or discarded) of both species targeted by the fishery and nontarget species (i.e., bycatch) is required. We used data from the well‐documented purse‐seine fishery for tunas (Thunnus albacar...

In 1847, Karl Bergmann proposed that temperature gradients are the key to understanding geographic variation in the body sizes of warm‐blooded animals. Yet both the geographic patterns of body‐size variation and their underlying mechanisms remain controversial. Here, we conduct the first assemblage‐level global examination of ‘Bergmann’s rule’ within an entire animal class. We generate global maps of avian body size and demons...

Aim Using a global data base of the distribution of extant bird species, we examine the evidence for spatial variation in the evolutionary origins of contemporary avian diversity. In particular, we assess the possible role of the timing of mountain uplift in promoting diversification in different regions. Location Global. Methods We mapped the distribution of avian richness at four taxonomic levels on an equal‐area 1° grid. We...

Spatial patterns of species richness follow climatic and environmental variation, but could reflect random dynamics of species ranges (the mid‐domain effect, MDE). Using data on the global distribution of birds, we compared predictions based on energy availability (actual evapotranspiration, AET, the best single correlate of avian richness) with those of range dynamics models. MDE operating within the global terrestrial area p...