Publications by authors named "Nicola S Smith"

Success and impact metrics in science are based on a system that perpetuates sexist and racist "rewards" by prioritizing citations and impact factors. These metrics are flawed and biased against already marginalized groups and fail to accurately capture the breadth of individuals' meaningful scientific impacts. We advocate shifting this outdated value system to advance science through principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The shifting baseline syndrome describes a gradual lowering of human cognitive baselines, as each generation accepts a lower standard of resource abundance or size as the new norm. There is strong empirical evidence of declining trends of abundance and body sizes of marine fish species reported from docks and markets. We asked whether these widespread trends in shrinking marine fish are detectable in popular English-language media, or whether news writers, like many marine stakeholders, are captive to shifting baselines.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The diversity-invasibility hypothesis and ecological theory predict that high-diversity communities should be less easily invaded than species-poor communities, but empirical evidence does not consistently support this prediction. While fine-scale experiments tend to yield the predicted negative association between diversity and invasibility, broad-scale observational surveys generally report a positive correlation. This conflicting pattern between experiments and observational studies is referred to as the invasion paradox and is thought to arise because different processes control species composition at different spatial scales.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

As a result of being hunted, animals often alter their behaviour in ways that make future encounters with predators less likely. When hunting is carried out for conservation, for example to control invasive species, these behavioural changes can inadvertently impede the success of future efforts. We examined the effects of repeated culling by spearing on the behaviour of invasive predatory lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) on Bahamian coral reef patches.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF