Games academics play and their consequences: how authorship, h-index and journal impact factors are shaping the future of academia.

Research is a highly competitive profession where evaluation plays a central role; journals are ranked and individuals are evaluated based on their publication number, the number of times they are cited and their h-index. Yet such evaluations are often done in inappropriate ways that are damaging to individual careers, particularly for young scholars, and to the profession. Furthermore, as with all indices, people can play games to better their scores. This has resulted in the incentive structure of science increasingly mimicking economic principles, but rather than a monetary gain, the incentive is a higher score. To ensure a diversity of cultural perspectives and individual experiences, we gathered a team of academics in the fields of ecology and evolution from around the world and at different career stages. We first examine how authorship, h-index of individuals and journal impact factors are being used and abused. Second, we speculate on the consequences of the continued use of these metrics with the hope of sparking discussions that will help our fields move in a positive direction. We would like to see changes in the incentive systems, rewarding quality research and guaranteeing transparency. Senior faculty should establish the ethical standards, mentoring practices and institutional evaluation criteria to create the needed changes.

B- and C-class gene expression during corona development of the blue passionflower (Passiflora caerulea, Passifloraceae).

PREMISE OF STUDY: The origin of the passionflower corona, a complex series of structures between the petals and stamens, has intrigued botanists for centuries, but has proven intractable using traditional approaches. Supplementing developmental data with expression analyses of three floral identity genes, we test whether the corona in Passiflora caerulea (blue passionflower) is homologous to petals or stamens or whether an alternative hypothesis of the corona as a novel structure is supported. METHODS: Corona development was investigated using scanning electron microscopy. Expression of the P. caerulea B-class genes PISTILLATA (PcPI) and TOMATO MADS6 (PcTM6), and C-class gene AGAMOUS (PcAG) was investigated using a combination of RT-PCR and mRNA in situ hybridization analyses. KEY RESULTS: Corona development starts as a ring of tissue at the base of petals. The outer radii and operculum initiate first at the periphery, followed by the inner radii and pali toward the center, and finally an annulus beneath the operculum. Late in development, a limen, the innermost component of the corona, develops from the side of the androgynophore. RT-PCR analyses indicate that the B-class genes PcPI and PcTM6 and C-class gene PcAG were all expressed in mature coronas. However, mRNA in situ hybridization analyses revealed complex temporal patterns of gene expression in the different corona elements. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the hypothesis that the corona is a composite structure, with the radii, pali, and operculum homologous to stamens, and the limen, which only expresses PcTM6, considered to be a novel structure distinct from the androgynophore.