Journal Guide

Austral Ecology is the premier journal for basic and applied ecology in the Southern Hemisphere. As the official Journal of The Ecological Society of Australia (ESA), Austral Ecology addresses the commonality between ecosystems in Australia and many parts of southern Africa, South America, New Zealand and Oceania. For example many species in the unique biotas of these regions share common Gondwana ancestors. ESA's aim is to publish innovative research to encourage the sharing of information and experiences that enrich the understanding of the ecology of the Southern Hemisphere. Austral Ecology involves an editorial board with representatives from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil and Argentina. These representatives provide expert opinions, access to qualified reviewers and act as a focus for attracting a wide range of contributions from countries across the region. Austral Ecology publishes original papers describing experimental, observational or theoretical studies on terrestrial, marine or freshwater systems, which are considered without taxonomic bias. Special thematic issues are published regularly, including symposia on the ecology of estuaries and soft sediment habitats, freshwater systems and coral reef fish.

Avian Conservation and Ecology is an open-access, fully electronic scientific journal, sponsored by the Society of Canadian Ornithologists and Bird Studies Canada. We publish papers that are scientifically rigorous and relevant to the bird conservation community in a cost-effective electronic approach that makes them freely available to scientists and the public in real-time. ACE is a fully indexed ISSN journal that welcomes contributions from scientists all over the world. While the name of the journal implies a publication niche of conservation AND ecology, we think the theme of conservation THROUGH ecology provides a better sense of our purpose. As such, we are particularly interested in contributions that use a scientifically sound and rigorous approach to the achievement of avian conservation as revealed through insights into ecological principles and processes. Papers are expected to fall along a continuum of pure conservation and management at one end to more pure ecology at the other but our emphasis will be on those contributions with direct relevance to conservation objectives.

BMC Ecology is an open access journal publishing original peer-reviewed research articles in environmental, behavioral and population ecology as well as biodiversity of plants, animals, and microbes.

Basic and Applied Ecology provides a forum in which significant advances and ideas can be rapidly communicated to a wide audience. Basic and Applied Ecology publishes minireviews, perspectives and original contributions from all areas of basic and applied ecology. Ecologists from all countries are invited to publish ecological research of international interest in its pages. There is no bias with regard to taxon or geographical area.Basic and Applied Ecology is the official journal of the "Ecological Society of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Gesellschaft für Ökologie)", representing ecologists of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Characteristic features of this scientific society include a broad spectrum of disciplines, so plant and animal ecologists, agroecologists, forest ecologists, tropical ecologists, soil ecologists, geoecologists, limnologists, conservationists, and landscape ecologists will shape the journal's contents. Basic and Applied Ecology actively solicits papers that strive to integrate the various disciplines and issues within the broad field of ecology.For members of the "Gesellschaft für Ökologie" (the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) free access to the online version of Basic and Applied Ecology (BAE) is included in their membership for only 75 Euro per year. Please contact Dr. Stefan Hotes (E-mail: info@gfoe.org) to become a member.

Bringing together significant work on all aspects of the subject, Behavioral Ecology is broad-based and covers both empirical and theoretical approaches. Studies on the whole range of behaving organisms, including plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, and humans, are included.Behavioral Ecology construes the field in its broadest sense to include 1) the use of ecological and evolutionary processes to explain the occurrence and adaptive significance of behavior patterns; 2) the use of behavioral processes to predict ecological patterns, and 3) empirical, comparative analyses relating behavior to the environment in which it occurs.

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology publishes reviews, original contributions and commentaries dealing with quantitative empirical and theoretical studies in the analysis of animal behavior at the level of the individual, group, population, community, and species. The section 'Methods' considers submissions concerning statistical procedures and their problems, as well as with problems related to measurement techniques.Special emphasis is placed on ultimate functions and evolution of ecological adaptations of behavior, in addition to mechanistic studies of proximate cause.Among aspects of particular interest are intraspecific behavioral interactions, with special focus on social behavior including altruism, cooperation and parental care; pre- and postzygotic sexual selection;kin recognition and kin selection, group structure, social networks; interspecific behavioral interactions including competition, resource partitioning, speciation, foraging, mutualism, predator-prey interactions and parasitism; signalling

Bioacoustics is the only international peer-reviewed journal devoted to the study and recording of animal sounds. It publishes reports of original research and review articles, commentaries from major figures in the field, profiles of research groups, relevant conference announcements and abstracts, reviews of equipment, books and recordings, information on wildlife sound archives and lists of recent publications in the field of bioacoustics.

Biochemical Systematics and Ecology is devoted to the publication of original papers and reviews, both submitted and invited, in two subject areas: (i) the application of biochemistry to problems relating to systematic biology of organisms (biochemical systematics); (ii) the role of biochemistry in interactions between organisms or between an organism and its environment (biochemical ecology). Papers will be grouped in each issue according to subject area. Research papers should generally be of completed investigations. Preliminary reports will be published where findings are considered to be of sufficient interest to justify rapid publication. In addition, short reports of new sources of known compounds (New Source Reports) will be accepted where they can be justified in terms of systematic or ecological significance. These reports must be written to a standard format.One volume will appear annually and eleven issues will constitute a volume. All manuscripts should be sent directly to the Editor-in-Chief, Professor Monique Simmonds. Before preparing their contributors, Authors are earnestly requested to study the latest Notes to Contributors, which were last published in Vol. 31, No. 5 (copies of these instructions are available from the Executive Editors.) The contents of papers are the sole responsibility of the Authors and publication does not imply the concurrence of Editors or Publisher.Biochemical Systematics and Ecology welcomes suitable books for review. Please send sample copies to the Editor-in-Chief.

The aim of Biodiversity is to raise an appreciation and deeper understanding of species, ecosystems and the interconnectedness of the living world and thereby avoid the mismanagement, misuse and destruction of biodiversity. Articles are written for a broad readership including scientists, educators, policy makers, conservationists, science writers, naturalists and students. Biodiversity aims to provide an international forum on all matters concerning the integrity and wellness of ecosystems and the diversity of species.

Biodiversity and Conservation is an international journal that publishes articles on all aspects of biological diversity-its description, analysis and conservation, and its controlled rational use by humankind. The scope of Biodiversity and Conservation is wide and multidisciplinary, and embraces all life-forms. The journal presents research papers, as well as editorials, comments and research notes on biodiversity and conservation, and contributions dealing with the practicalities of conservation management, economic, social and political issues. The journal provides a forum for examining conflicts between sustainable development and human dependence on biodiversity in agriculture, environmental management and biotechnology, and encourages contributions from developing countries to promote broad global perspectives on matters of biodiversity and conservation.

Biogeosciences (BG) is an international scientific journal dedicated to the publication and discussion of research articles, short communications and review papers on all aspects of the interactions between the biological, chemical and physical processes in terrestrial or extraterrestrial life with the geosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. The objective of the journal is to cut across the boundaries of established sciences and achieve an interdisciplinary view of these interactions. Experimental, conceptual and modelling approaches are welcome.

Biological Conservation is an international leading journal in the discipline of conservation biology. The journal publishes articles spanning a diverse range of fields that contribute to the biological, sociological, and economic dimensions of conservation and natural resource management. The primary aim of Biological Conservation is the publication of high-quality papers that advance the science and practice of conservation, or which demonstrate the application of conservation principles for natural resource management and policy. Therefore it will be of interest to a broad international readership.Biological Conservation invites the submission of research articles, reviews (including systematic reviews and perspectives), short communications and letters to the editor dealing with all aspects of conservation science, including theoretical and empirical investigations into the consequences of human actions for the diversity, structure and function of terrestrial, aquatic or marine ecosystems. Such papers may include quantitative assessments of extinction risk, fragmentation effects, spread of invasive organisms, conservation genetics, conservation management, global change effects on biodiversity, landscape or reserve design and management, restoration ecology, or resource economics.The journal's coverage of interdisciplinary topics within conservation biology is highly relevant to scientists at academic, research and non-governmental institutions. The journal also provides practical applications of conservation research for land/resource managers and policy makers charged with protecting biological diversity and ultimately implementing conservation science into conservation practice.Biological Conservation is an affiliate publication of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB). SCB members can obtain a personal subscription to this journal through the Society.

Biological Invasions publishes research and synthesis papers on patterns and processes of biological invasions in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine (including brackish) ecosystems. Also of interest are scholarly papers on management and policy issues as they relate to conservation programs and the global amelioration or control of invasions. The journal will consider proposals for special issues resulting from conferences or workshops on invasions.The Editor-in-Chief is Daniel Simberloff, University of Tennessee, USA.

We are pleased to announce that Biological Invasions is now available Online First.
The Online First service lets users access peer reviewed articles well before print publication. These articles are searchable and citeable by their DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and hence significantly reduce the time it takes for critical discoveries to reach the research community.

To view Online First articles please visit Springerlink by clicking on the icon on your right-hand side

Launched as an independent journal in 2005 Biology Letters is a primarily online, peer-reviewed journal that publishes short, high-quality articles from across the biological sciences. The scope of Biology Letters is vast - publishing high-quality research in any area of the biological sciences. However, we have particular strengths in the biology, evolution and ecology of whole organisms. We also publish in other areas of biology, such as molecular ecology and evolution, environmental science, and taxonomy and systematics.Articles submitted to Biology Letters benefit from its broad scope and readership, dedicated media promotion and we aim for a turnaround time of within 4 weeks to first decision.The journal is particularly suited to research that requires high visibility due to its novel findings.

BIOTROPIA, the Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Biology is a scientific publication of SEAMEO BIOTROP. It publishes articles in the broad areas of tropical ecosystems and environmental impacts, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, environmental and forest biotechnology, covering all aspects of the discipline of biology. Articles published in the journal are papers reporting results of original researches, reviews on spesific topics not available elsewhere in up-to-date form, and short communication in which advances in knowledge of significance are briefly announced.

Ranked by the ISI index, Biotropica is a highly regarded source of original research on the ecology, conservation and management of all tropical ecosystems, and on the evolution, behavior, and population biology of tropical organisms. Published on behalf of the Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation, the journal's Special Issues and Special Sections quickly become indispensable references for researchers in the field. Biotropica publishes timely Papers, Reviews, Commentaries, and Insights. Commentaries generate thought-provoking ideas that frequently initiate fruitful debate and discussion, while Reviews provide authoritative and analytical overviews of topics of current conservation or ecological importance. The newly instituted category Insights replaces Short Communications.