Soil organisms drive major ecosystem functions by mineralising carbon and releasing
nutrients during decomposition processes, which supports plant growth, aboveground …

The analysis of food webs and their dynamics facilitates understanding of the mechanistic
processes behind community ecology and ecosystem functions. Having accurate techniques …

Molluscs comprise the second largest phylum of animals (after arthropods), occurring in
virtually all habitats. Some are commercially important, a few are pests and some carry …

A fully updated guide to the increasingly prevalent use of molecular data in ecological
studies Molecular ecology is concerned with how molecular biology and population genetics …

Molecular analysis of predation, through polymerase chain reaction amplification of prey
remains within the faeces or digestive systems of predators, is a rapidly growing field …

Multiplex PCR is a valuable tool in many biological studies but it is a multifaceted procedure
that has to be planned and optimised thoroughly to achieve robust and meaningful results …

DNA‐based techniques have proven useful for defining trophic links in a variety of
ecosystems and recently developed sequencing technologies provide new opportunities for …

There is growing realisation that integrating genetics and ecology is critical in the context of
biological invasions, since the two are explicitly linked. So far, the focus of ecological …

Summary 1 It is not always possible to track trophic interactions between predators and prey
by direct observation. This is especially true when observing small or elusive animals with …

Insects comprise the largest species composition in the entire animal kingdom and possess
a vast undiscovered genetic diversity and gene pool that can be better explored using …