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Tim Herkenrath: Hungry herbivores and thirsty plants: How does wildlife shape tree transpiration in a Namibian savanna? – Functional Ecologists
In our latest post Tim Herkenrath, PhD candidate at Universities of Bonn and Umeå, present his work ‘Hungry Herbivores and Thirsty Plants: Browsing Wildlife Shape Savanna Tree Transpiration Independently of Water Use Strategies’. He explains the connection between biotic interactions and physiology, shares the pain and pleasure of fieldwork in Namibia, and shows his path…
Curtis Lubbe: Going Belowground in Central European Meadows – Functional Ecologists
In our latest post, Curtis Lubbe - a researcher at the Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences - discusses the fascinating subterranean world of roots, the diversity of plant forms and species in meadows, and what the future in this field may bring. Profile I am completely fascinated by the variety of…
Congratulations to Indra Boving, winner of the 2023 Haldane Prize! – Functional Ecologists
Functional Ecology is delighted to announce that the winner of the 2023 Haldane Prize is Indra Boving! The Haldane Prize is awarded annually for the best paper published in the journal by an early career researcher. Winner: Indra Boving Research: Live fuel moisture and water potential exhibit differing relationships with leaf-level flammability thresholds In this…
Yunxian Xu: Mycorrhizal fungi alter root exudation to cultivate a beneficial microbiome for plant growth – Functional Ecologists
In this blog post, Yunxian Xu discusses his study "Mycorrhizal fungi alter root exudation to cultivate a beneficial microbiome for plant growth", which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology's 2023 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper: Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are a class of soil microorganisms that are widespread in terrestrial ecosystems…
Spencer Virgin: Hot limpets go south: Fine-scale thermal heterogeneity drives summertime limpet distributions – Functional Ecologists
In this blog post, Spencer Virgin, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, discusses his study "Behavioural thermoregulation and food availability drive fine-scale seasonal habitat partitioning in limpets", which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2023 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers About the Research Most research on the effect of climate…
Ryan Stephens: Importance of tissue, trophic level, and diet source in shaping variation in isotopic trophic discrimination factors – Functional Ecologists
In this post, Ryan Stephens, an ecologist at East Tennessee State University, discusses his review paper "Meta-analysis and critical review of trophic discrimination factors (Δ13C and Δ15N): Importance of tissue, trophic level and diet source". This paper has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology's 2023 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the Paper Naturally occurring…
Leo Ohyama: Navigating the ecological traits of insect societies – Functional Ecologists
In this blog post, Leo Ohyama, a PhD candidate, discusses his study "Ecological traits of social insects: Colony, queen and worker size relationships reveal a nexus trait with broad ecological relevance", which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology's 2023 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the Paper Trait-based approaches in ecology allow researchers to…
Félix P. Leiva: Cell Size is More Important in Conditions of Low Oxygen – Functional Ecologists
In this post, Félix P. Leiva, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Germany, discusses his article "The role of cell size in shaping responses to oxygen and temperature in fruit flies", which has been shortlisted for the Haldane Prize, Functional Ecology´s prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper Our paper makes a significant…
Daniel G. Dick: Exploring the relationship between different measures of functional redundancy – Functional Ecologists
In this blog post, Daniel G. Dick, a public education and geoscience communication postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University, Canada, discusses his study "Measuring functional redundancy using generalized Hill numbers", which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2023 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the Paper Whether an ecological community can withstand an external perturbation…
Ximena Cibils: 2023 Haldane Prize Podcast – Functional Ecologists
Podcast out now! Ximena Cibils chats to us about her research paper, Silicon and Epichloë-endophyte defences in a model temperate grass diminish feeding efficiency and immunity of an insect, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology's Haldane Prize 2023. Ximena with Scott Johnson, who brough her diploma with him to Uruguay last year! (Credit: Ximena Cibils)…
Indra Boving: Plants and flammability—Deep inside the mechanisms of wild fires – Functional Ecologists
In this revisited blog post, Indra Boving, a PhD candidate at University of California-Santa Barbara, USA, shares her work ‘Live fuel moisture and water potential exhibit differing relationships with leaf-level flammability thresholds’, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology's 2023 Haldane Prize for early career researchers. About the paper Our paper was inspired by patterns…
Samantha Bock: A long-standing evolutionary mystery: Why does temperature determine sex in long-lived reptiles? – Functional Ecologists
In this blog post, Samantha Bock, a post-doctoral researcher, discusses her study "Differential early-life survival underlies the adaptive significance of temperature-dependent sex determination in a long-lived reptile", which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology's 2023 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper: The temperature an animal experiences during development can determine whether it…
Lina Aoyama: Root diversity in grasslands buffers biomass production under drought – Functional Ecologists
In this post, Lina Aoyama, a PhD student at the University of Oregon, discusses their research "Functional diversity buffers biomass production across variable rainfall conditions through different processes above- versus below-ground", which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology's 2023 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper Water is a strong driver of plant…
Guangqi Zhang: A whole-tree perspective on the role of non-structural carbohydrates in resource allocation trade-offs along the tree economics spectrum – Functional Ecologists
In our latest blog post, Guangqi Zhang, postdoc at INRAE (France), presents his paper “Not all sweetness and light: non-structural carbohydrate storage capacity in tree stems is decoupled from leaf but not root economics”. He discusses the importance of considering multiple traits, shares his happiness for the publication of his research, and encourages ecologists to…
2023 Haldane Prize Shortlist: Functional Ecology’s Award for Early Career Researchers – Functional Ecologists
The Haldane Prize is awarded by the British Ecological Society each year for the best paper in Functional Ecology written by an early career author. With entries spanning the 37th volume of the journal, our Senior Editors carefully shortlisted the following 12 papers: Lina Aoyama Functional diversity buffers biomass production across variable rainfall conditions through different processes…
Functional Ecology: International Women’s Day 2024 – Functional Ecologists
To celebrate International Women's Day 2024, we are excited to share a collection of blog posts showcasing the work of some of our new Associate Editors. In each post, our editors discuss their experiences in ecology, as well as what this year's theme, 'Inspire Inclusion', means to them. Dr Iveren Abiem Dr Iveren Abiem (Credit:…
Guoming Qin: Unlocking the Secrets of Soil Carbon Storage in Mangrove Ecosystems – Functional Ecologists
In this post, Guoming Qin—a postdoc at the South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences—share his recently published paper: “Contributions of Plant- and Microbial-Derived Residues to Mangrove Soil Carbon Stocks: Implications for Blue Carbon Sequestration”. He underscores the importance of this research in advancing our understanding of carbon accumulation in mangrove ecosystems, shares his…
Ximena Cibils-Stewart: Silicon and endophyte defences in tall fescue reduce feeding and weaken immunity of an insect herbivore. – Functional Ecologists
Ximena Cibils-Stewart completed her doctoral dissertation at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, and works as an adjunct scientist at the Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria in Uruguay. During her doctoral research, her primary focus revolved around assessing the impact of silicon supplementation coupled with beneficial symbionts, such as endophytes, on bolstering…
Myrsky Eero: The warming arctic, herbivore outbreaks and the importance of long-term field studies – Functional Ecologists
In our latest post, Myrsky Eero, a PhD student at the University of Helsinki, presents his work ‘Higher vascular plant abundance associated with decreased ecosystem respiration after 20 years of warming in the forest-tundra -ecotone’. He discusses the importance of long term research, presents the complex trade-offs happening in ecology and shares his passion for…
Call for Proposals: Cross Journal Special Feature on “Large Scale, Open Data, and a Big Tent: Leveraging collaboration, transparency, and inclusion to advance macrosystems biology” – Functional Ecologists
Functional Ecology, Journal of Animal Ecology, Journal of Ecology, Methods in Ecology and Evolution and People and Nature are seeking proposals for a cross-journal Special Feature on “Large Scale, Open Data, and a Big Tent: Leveraging collaboration, transparency, and inclusion to advance macrosystems biology” Edited by: Daniel C Allen, Alejandro Cueva, Xiaonan Tai, Matt Heard,…
Clara Castellano—Understanding the Impact of Rural Abandonment on Ecological Processes in Mediterranean Ecosystems – Functional Ecologists
In this blog post, Clara Castellano—from the Department of Agrarian and Environmental Science at the University of Zaragoza, Huesca, Spain—discusses working on the ARBIO Project in the Middle Ebro River Valley, the joys of fieldwork, and what the future holds. Profile I'm interested in ecology in general, and specifically in nature conservation and ecological restoration.…
Explore the root advantages of invasive plants under nutrient enrichment – Functional Ecologists
In this new post, Hao Liu—a postdoc from Fudan University, China—presents his work ‘Root plasticity benefits a global invasive species in eutrophic coastal wetlands’. Here he discusses the importance in plasticity for invasive species success, highlights the cohesion required to work in the mud, and shares his journey in ecology. About the paperInvasive species usually…
Jakub Štenc: Matching plants and pollinators in Czech grasslands – Functional Ecologists
In this post, Zdeněk Janovský and Jakub "Kuba" Štenc —from Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic—share their work ‘Pollinator community and generalisation of pollinator spectra changes with plant niche width and local dominance’. They discuss how they gathered hundreds of thousands of plant-pollinator visits, showed beekeepers the magic of the scientific method, and share their passion…
Jakub Štenc: Matching plants and pollinators in Czech grasslands: Czech Version – Functional Ecologists
O článku Příběh tohoto článku se začal psát někdy před dvanácti lety, když Zdeněk viděl plakát Českého svazu včelařského, že 95 % rostlin opyluje včela medonosná a pouze zbylých 5 % opylují divocí opylovači. Toto tvrzení odporovalo jeho zkušenostem z terénu, ale uvědomoval si, že k vyvrácení tvrzení včelařské lobby bude potřeba komplexního datového souboru…
Julia Cooke & Joanna Carey: What are the relationships between water and silicon uptake in plants, and what factors change cause shifts in these? – Functional Ecologists
In this new post, Julia Cooke and Joanna Carey—ecologists and friends from the UK and USA—present their work ‘Stress alters the role of silicon in controlling plant water movement’. They show how to deal with contradictory experimental results, celebrate the importance of discussion to reach scientific answers and how results materialise. About the paper It…
Key Concepts in Ecology: Physiological ecology – Functional Ecologists
This blog post on ‘Physiological ecology’ is part of the BES ‘Key Concepts in Ecology’ series, designed to help ecologists in learning the key topics in ecology! Take a look at the full blog series for a list of key topics you might typically find in an ecology textbook, each providing a quick introduction to…
Pablo Castro Sánchez-Bermejo, Henriette Christel, Michael Köhler, Julia Imola Piko, Lena Sachsenmaier: TreeDì—Understanding tree diversity effects on Chinese subtropical forests – Functional Ecologists
In this new post, the group - PhD students at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Germany - discuss their experiences working on the BEF-China experiment, the joys of fieldwork, and what the future holds for them. Profile We are a group of PhD students—at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research…
陈哲：红色花和红色果的色彩差异 – Functional Ecologists
来自中国科学院昆明植物研究所植物多样性与生物地理学重点实验室的博士后陈哲分享了其最近发表的论文，题为《在鸟类眼中红色果实的色彩多样性低于红色花朵》。他探讨了红色花和红色果之间色彩差异的格局和潜在机制，并分享了他个人的经历以及走上生态学研究之路的历程。 关于论文 色彩在植物与动物间的各种相互作用中扮演着关键角色。花和果都利用色彩来吸引传粉者和传播者，同时避开可能的威胁，如啃食者。尽管传粉和种子散播是连续的生态过程，具有相关性和相似性，但对花和果特征的比较分析却较少。该论文的主要目标是比较花（用于传粉）和果（用于种子传播）之间的色彩策略。 事实上，花和果的色彩受到各种相互交织的生物和非生物因素的影响，比较分析起来相当复杂。为应对这种局面，我们仅关注与鸟类相互作用的红色花和红色果。这个研究系统特意排除了不同色调之间的色彩差异，以及不同相互作用动物之间色觉特性的差异。我们基于反射光谱和动物的色彩视觉模型比较分析了红色花和果的色彩特性。此外，还进用鸽子进行了受控实验，以研究红色的生态功能。 关于研究 此项研究加深了我们对植物色彩进化和动植物互作的理解。结果表明，与红色果相比，红色的色彩多样性方面表现出更高的多样性，特别表现在短波段反射方面。此外，我们的研究还揭示了鸟类对在短波段反射有差异的两种红色无明显偏好，尽管它们能够区分这两种红色（人类无法区分）。该研究暗示进化历史对花和果色彩影响深远，值得在未来的研究中多加关注。 鸟媒红色花比鸟播红色果具有更高的色彩多样性。鸟媒花的进化历史更加复杂，可能是由具有各种花色的虫媒花（经常是蜂媒花）进化而来。图中四面体为鸟类色觉空间，其中的点分别代表花（红色）和果（青色）的色彩在鸟类眼中的状态。柱状图展示花和果在鸟类色觉空间中所占据的体积（基于1000次抽样）（图片来源：牛洋) 我们研究中碰到的一个重大挑战是如何引导鸽子做出选择。起初，两个目标隔开一段距离并排放置，但无论目标本身的特征如何，鸽子总是表现出对方位本身的偏好。它们总是不假思索地先接近左边的目标，然后再移到右边；或者反过来。尽管我们进行了许多调整，如改变实验场地的布局，改变选项之间的距离，并在实验前禁食等，但鸽子就是不做选择。这一阶段艰苦而漫长，始终没有明显进展。有一天我突然意识到，鸽子观察环境的方式或许和人类或某些昆虫不同，它们的眼睛朝向两侧而非前方。于是我修改了实验设置，将两个目标摆放成Y形，使得它们位于不同的侧向。这个调整取得了成功！这一次，鸽子在两个目标前犹豫了，左右转动头部进行观察，然后才做出选择。这是个令人兴奋的时刻，我成功解决了这个困难。 行为实验研究鸽子对两种不同红色的偏好（图片来源：陈哲） 关于作者 陈哲：我于2014年开始了我的植物色彩研究，那时我还是一名硕士研究生。我的课题是红色花的色彩进化，这让我在植物与动物交流、动物色彩感知和动物色觉模型上有了很好的训练。2017年开始博士，研究来江藤属（列当科）的花特征进化。这让我对系统发育和生物地理有了更深入的认识，也具有了更广阔的进化历史的视角。2020年，我开始了这项关于红色花和红色果的比较研究，将生态学和进化历史融合在了一起。我一直对研究植物色彩抱有浓厚兴趣，这是一个理解自然的过程，能够揭示植物的‘智慧’，并解密植物与动物之间的互动。此外，进行生态研究也使我有机会见到多样的植物和令人叹为观止的风景，这让我感到宁静。 陈哲在中国云南横断山开展野外工作（图片来源：张秋玉） 点击这里阅读原文
Zhe Chen: Colour differs between red flowers and red fruits – Functional Ecologists
In this post, Zhe Chen—a postdoc at the CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences—share his recently published paper: “Red fruits exhibit lower colour diversity than red flowers as perceived by birds”. He discusses the patterns and potential mechanisms underlying the colour distinctions…
Key Concepts in Ecology: Landscape ecology and macroecology – Functional Ecologists
This blog post on ‘Landscape ecology and macroecology’ is part of the BES ‘Key Concepts in Ecology’ series, designed to help ecologists in learning the key topics in ecology! Take a look at the full blog series for a list of key topics you might typically find in an ecology textbook, each providing a quick…
Petr Dostál: Invasion alters reproduction in a native perennial plant – Functional Ecologists
In this new post, Petr Dostál—from the Institute of Botany, Czech Republic—presents his work ‘Reproductive strategies of native plant populations altered by a plant invasion’. He highlights the connection between native and exotic plant species, discusses how evolution can progress faster than expected, and shares the greenness of central European grasslands. About the paper A…
Key Concepts in Ecology: Mutualisms and Facilitation – Functional Ecologists
This blog post on ‘Mutualisms and facilitation’ is part of the BES ‘Key Concepts in Ecology’ series, designed to help ecologists in learning the key topics in ecology. See the full blog series for a list of key topics that you might typically find in an ecology textbook, each providing a short introduction to the…
Increasing the Reach of Your Research: A Two-Part Workshop for Latin American Researchers – Functional Ecologists
Speaker: Emma Sayer Workshop 1: 3-4:30pm GMT, November 28, 2023 - REGISTER HERE Workshop 2: 3-4:30pm GMT, December 05, 2023 - REGISTER HERE Are you a researcher in Latin America that wishes to maximise the impact of your research? Senior Editor for Functional Ecology, Emma Sayer, will be holding a two-part online workshop that will…
Nate Anderson: My unexpected path to academia – Functional Ecologists
In our latest post, Nate Anderson—a researcher at the University of Western Australia—discusses the healing and regenerative benefits of time spent in nature, working in majestic Red Tingle forests, and the dangerous aspects of fieldwork in his study site. Profile I have followed a roundabout path to research. In 2008, my best friend committed suicide.…
Chaoqing Song: Tree demography in a moist tropical forest: Response to water stress and associations with plant functional traits – Functional Ecologists
In this new post, PhD candidate at University of Sun Yat-sen University, Chaoqing Song, presents his work ‘Differential tree demography mediated by water stress and functional traits in a moist tropical forest’. He shows the importance of water for tree survivability, highlights how functional traits can help us to understand demography, and thanks data collectors…
Camila Madeiros: What are you doing in a place like this? Connecting plants’ climate preferences with functional traits – Functional Ecologists
Camila Medeiros—a post-doc at University of California Los Angeles, USA—presents her work ‘Predicting plant species climate preferences on the basis of mechanistic traits’. She discusses the connection between traits and niches, shows how to do ecology with small budgets, and highlights the need to transfer scientific knowledge to general audiences. About the paper By using…
Indra Boving: Plants and flammability—Deep inside the mechanisms of wild fires – Functional Ecologists
In our newest post, Indra Boving—a PhD candidate at University of California-Santa Barbara, USA—shares her latest work ‘Live fuel moisture and water potential exhibit differing relationships with leaf-level flammability thresholds’. She explains when plants become most flammable, the challenges of making fires in a lab, and shares her journey in ecology. About the paper Our…
Camille Bernery & Clara Marino: Exploring the profile of fish invaders in order to better understand their dynamics – Functional Ecologists
In this new post, Camille Bernery and Clara Marino—a Post doctorate and PhD student, respectively, at the Ecology, Systematic and Evolution (ESE) lab, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Gif-sur-Yvette, France—share their recently published paper titled: Relative importance of exotic species traits in determining invasiveness across levels of establishment: Example of freshwater fish. They discuss the characteristics…
Camille Bernery & Clara Marino : Explorer le profil des poissons envahissants pour mieux comprendre leur dynamique – Functional Ecologists
Dans cet article, Camille Bernery et Clara Marino, respectivement post-doctorante et doctorante au laboratoire Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution (ESE) (Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech), partagent leur article récemment publié intitulé : Relative importance of exotic species traits in determining invasiveness across levels of establishment : Example of freshwater fish. Elles discutent des caractéristiques qui expliquent les…