Cover Picture and Issue Information. Issue 8 (2nd August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Is Part Of: Methods in ecology and evolution. Volume 11:Issue 8(2020)
• Page Start: 879
• Page End: 881
• Publication Date: 2020-08-02
• Subjects: Ecology -- Periodicals; Evolution -- Periodicals; 577
• DOI: 10.1111/2041-210X.13225
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2041-210X

Abstract

Abstract : This month's cover image shows an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or drone) flying across the badlands of the Oligocene‐aged White River Group of Wyoming, USA (~30 million years old) to verify potential fossils identified autonomously by the UAV the night before. Fossil candidates can now be searched out using fluorescence signatures detected by a laser‐scanning system onboard an autonomous UAV that scans the ground for fossils at night. The new system is detailed by Kaye and Pittman in this issue and promises to improve how efficiently fossils are discovered in the field. The system also has strong potential for broader application in other areas of ecology and evolution through the identification of other mineral, rock and biological targets. Photo credit: ©Thomas G Kaye & Michael Pittman.