Call for Papers

2021 Focus Issue on The Chemical Ecology of Predator-Prey Interactions

Guest Edited by Sara Hermann, Jennifer Thaler

Deadline for Submission: April 15, 2021

Anticipated Publication Date: October 2021

In this special feature, we will examine the ways in which chemical cues, derived from predators, prey or the broader environment mediate or modulate predator-prey interactions. The goal is to present approaches and systems that are changing our fundamental understanding of how predators influence prey populations in both natural and applied contexts with a special focus on the impact of predation risk. We hope to gain a greater understanding of how chemical ecology might provide unifying trends across taxa and help shape how we approach multi-trophic interactions and food-web theory.

Suggested Topics (but not limited to): 1/ Predator cues and their influence on prey ecology; 2/ The impact of prey alarm cues on predator success or prey escape; 3/ The influence of plant defensive chemistry on predator-prey dynamics. Reviews or original research papers are welcome.

Authors interested in contributing should indicate this in the cover letter when submitting papers online at https://www.editorialmanager.com/joce/default.aspx

Please contact Sara Hermann (slh@psu.edu), or Jennifer Thaler (jst37@cornell.edu) for more information.

Promotes an ecological understanding of the origin, function, and significance of natural chemicals that mediate interactions within and between organisms

• Original research and reviews concerning both the biological and chemical aspects of chemical ecology
• Official journal of the International Society of Chemical Ecology (ISCE) and the Asia-Pacific Association of Chemical Ecologists (APACE)

Journal of Chemical Ecology is devoted to promoting an ecological understanding of the origin, function, and significance of natural chemicals that mediate interactions within and between organisms. Such relationships, often adaptively important, comprise the oldest of communication systems in terrestrial and aquatic environments. The strong interdisciplinary association that has developed between chemists and biologists has accelerated our understanding of these interactions in nature.

Scientific contributions, including review articles, original research papers, rapid communications, and Letters to the Editor are welcome from either members or nonmembers of the International Society of Chemical Ecology. Manuscripts must be in English. They may include substantive observations of interactions in nature, the elucidation of the chemical compounds involved, the mechanisms of their production and reception, and the translation of such basic information into survey and control protocols.

To be considered for peer review, the following criteria should be met:

• Papers must contain an ecological rationale.

• Papers should contain both chemical and ecological/behavioral elements. Purely chemical or ecological/behavioral papers usually are not appropriate. However, chemical papers that emphasize structure/function, or behavioral ones that demonstrate some novel phenomenon will be considered.

• Papers whose focus is the search for new drugs, herbicides, or insecticides are not appropriate. Applied chemical ecology is an appropriate subject matter so long as the work is based on ecological problems or concerns.

• Papers whose focus is environmental science should not be submitted to JCE unless the work involves demonstration of effects that disrupt chemical ecology.

• Chemical and molecular research and writing must follow our guidelines as articulated in JCE 34(8): 984 (chemical); JCE 35(12):1383 (SPME); and JCE (36(12):1288 (molecular).

• Papers must be of sufficient breadth (avoiding a regional focus) a nd novelty to have international appeal.

• Papers must be written in acceptable English. Writers whose native language is not English are encouraged to seek a pre-submission review by a native English-speaking writer.

• Preliminary work is not publishable, but short papers that either express new ideas or do not merit full paper status can be submitted in the Rapid Communication category. Papers should be 5-6 pages in length, contain one figure and/or table, and have no more than 12 references