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Mariona Pajares-Murgó on how mutualistic and antagonistic phyllosphere fungi contribute to plant recruitment in natural communities | Journal of Ecology Blog
This project is part of my doctoral thesis, which I am carrying out at the University of Jaén and at the Zaidín Experimental Station (ZEE) in Granada, and these are photos of the dream team that made it possible so far! From left, Antonio J. Perea, Jesus Bastida, Sandra Lendínez and me, and comfortably sited…
Evolving into weirdness | Journal of Ecology Blog
Richard P. Shefferson, University of Tokyo, discussed his article: ‘Life history costs drive the evolution of mycoheterotrophs: increased sprouting and flowering in a strongly mycoheterotrophic Pyrola species’ Figure 1. The non-photosynthetic species Monotropastrum humile, found at the Pyrola japonica field site. (photo: R. Shefferson). Background When we think of plants, we think of trees and…
Understanding the success of invasive plants through community assembly | Journal of Ecology Blog
Urmi Poddar discusses her paper ‘Similar trait-based successional assembly in native and introduced plants despite species pool differences.’ A picture of the Buell-Small Succession Study site in 2005, showing in understory of mostly Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum). Photo credit: Scott Meiners. Background Invasive species are one of the major threats to biodiversity. These species tend…
Meet our new Blog Editor: F. Curtis Lubbe | Journal of Ecology Blog
We're pleased to introduce our new Blog Editor! Curtis Lubbe joins the team to help manage the Journal of Ecology blog and publish author's stories behind their research. Find out a bit about Curtis below: Name: F. Curtis LubbeLocation: Třeboň, Czech RepublicKeywords: belowground storage organs, drought, functional ecology, nonstructural carbohydrates, overwintering, storage Tell us a bit…
Biodiversity supports grassland resistance and recovery under extreme drought | Journal of Ecology Blog
Manuele Bazzichetto discusses his article: ‘Biodiversity promotes resistance but dominant species shape recovery of grasslands under extreme drought.’ Background A hot idea in ecology is that biodiversity helps ecosystems do better. For instance, high biodiversity should help ecosystems to maintain their functions (e.g., biomass production) over time. In other words, biodiversity should stabilise ecosystem functions.…
Tyler Coverdale – 2023 Harper Prize Winner!🏆 | Journal of Ecology Blog
We’re delighted to announce that the winner of the 2023 Harper Prize is Tyler Coverdale! The Harper Prize is awarded annually for the best paper published in the journal by an early career researcher. Winner: Tyler Coverdale Paper: Unravelling the relationship between plant diversity and vegetation structural complexity: A review and theoretical framework "As Tyler´s succinct review points out, we…
Does drying make peat mosses more vulnerable to drought? | Journal of Ecology Blog
Nicola Kokkonen, Anna Laine-Petäjäkangas, and Eeva-Stiina Tuittila discuss their article: ‘A deepened water table increases the vulnerability of peat mosses to periodic drought.’ Background A boreal ombrotrophic bog in central Finland. A range of different plant communities cover the surface, but peat mosses are dominant and can be most clearly seen in the intermediate lawn habitat…
The April Art Gallery | Journal of Ecology Blog
This month we are featuring Chethana V. Casiker, Luiz F. C. Serigheli, Marta Barberis, Stephanie Glendinning and Bethany Bridge. Mediums include tapestry, pen, coloured pencils, drag, tattoo, make up, look and performance, paint, sound, graffiti and watercolours. Artist: Chethana V. Casiker I am a researcher who studies bees in urban landscapes. I wanted to paint…
Understanding the Impact of Deer and Earthworms on Forest Understories | Journal of Ecology Blog
Annise Dobson discusses her article: ‘Individual and combined effects of invasive earthworms and native white-tailed deer on understory plant survival, growth, and reproduction.’ Figure 2. Co-author Audrey Bowe measuring transplants. These long-lived perennials can persist as small juveniles for many years in the understorey. Background In northeastern U.S. forests, understorey plant communities are undergoing sweeping…
The Story Story: Using lake sediments from Story Lake to better understand the interacting effects of fire and climate change on oak and beech community shifts in the southern Great Lakes region | Journal of Ecology Blog
Nora Schlenker discusses her paper ‘Interacting effects of fire and hydroclimate on oak and beech community prevalence in the southern Great Lakes region.’ Background Every year pollen rains down from terrestrial plants and makes us sneeze. But as pollen lands on the surface of lakes and settles in lakebed sediments, it also provides a continuous…
Cover stories (112:04): Plant-insect interactions: from above- to below-ground | Journal of Ecology Blog
The cover image for our April issue shows insect herbivores feeding on a ragweed plant. The image relates to the article ‘Foliar herbivory-enhanced mycorrhization is associated with increased levels of lipids in root and root exudates’, by Zhenlong Xing et al. Here, Zhenlong tells us the story behind the image: Insect herbivores, terrestrial plants, and…
Martin Girardin on Mapping trees’ climate sensitivity: Evolutionary dynamics explored using tree rings / Cartographie de la sensibilité climatique des arbres : Dynamiques évolutives explorées à l’aide des cernes de croissance des arbres | Journal of Ecology Blog
Boreal mixed forest in eastern Canada / Forêt mixte boréale dans l'est du Canada Background The way that tree species develop and change over time is affected by the climate they live in. In the vast expanse of Canada's terrestrial ecosystems, nearly 180 tree species have undergone selective processes since the last glaciation, sculpting their…
Chenhui Chang: Reciprocal bark exchange helps to disentangle bark & wood trait effects on invertebrate diversity | Journal of Ecology Blog
2023 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: Throughout March, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2023 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Chenhui Chang’s article ‘Reciprocal bark exchange helps to disentangle tree species-dependent bark and wood trait effects on invertebrate diversity‘ is one of those shortlisted…
Tara Miller: Warmer temperatures are linked to phenological mismatch among native & non-native forest plants | Journal of Ecology Blog
2023 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: Throughout March, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2023 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Tara Miller’s article ‘Warmer temperatures are linked to widespread phenological mismatch among native and non-native forest plants‘ is one of those shortlisted for the…
Maria Jessen: Seedlings controlled by litter | Journal of Ecology Blog
2023 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: Throughout March, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2023 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Maria Jessen’s article ‘Litter accumulation, not light limitation, drives early plant recruitment‘ is one of those shortlisted for the award: 👋 About me: from…
Jan Perret: Plants stand still but manage to hide | Journal of Ecology Blog
2023 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: Throughout March, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2023 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Jan Perret’s article ‘Plants stand still but hide: Imperfect and heterogeneous detection is the rule when counting plants‘ is one of those shortlisted for…
Juliana Monteiro: Bryophyte assembly rules across scales | Journal of Ecology Blog
2023 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: Throughout March, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2023 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Juliana Monteiro’s article ‘Bryophyte assembly rules across scales‘ is one of those shortlisted for the award: 👋 About me I grew up in northern…
Xian Yang: Assembly mechanisms of leaf epiphytic & endophytic bacterial communities | Journal of Ecology Blog
2023 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: Throughout March, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2023 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Xian Yang’s article ‘Different assembly mechanisms of leaf epiphytic and endophytic bacterial communities underlie their higher diversity in more diverse forests‘ is one of…
Tyler Coverdale: Unravelling the relationship between plant diversity & vegetation structural complexity | Journal of Ecology Blog
2023 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: Throughout March, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2023 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Tyler Coverdale’s article ‘Unravelling the relationship between plant diversity and vegetation structural complexity: A review and theoretical framework‘ is one of those shortlisted for…
Yikang Cheng: Divergent trait responses to nitrogen addition in tall & short species | Journal of Ecology Blog
2023 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: Throughout March, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2023 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Yikang Cheng’s article ‘Divergent trait responses to nitrogen addition in tall and short species‘ is one of those shortlisted for the award: 👋 About…
Marina Fagundes: Improving restoration success in tropical dry forests | Journal of Ecology Blog
2023 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: Throughout March, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2023 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Marina Fagundes’s article ‘The role of plant diversity and facilitation during tropical dry forest restoration‘ is one of those shortlisted for the award: 👋…
Liam Trethowan: Biogeographic origin influences plant species distributions on tropical mountains | Journal of Ecology Blog
2023 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: Throughout March, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2023 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Liam Trethowan’s article ‘Plant species biogeographic origin shapes their current and future distribution on the world's highest island mountain‘ is one of those shortlisted…
Siyuan Wang: Lianas have a faster resource acquisition strategy than trees | Journal of Ecology Blog
2023 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: Throughout March, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2023 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Siyuan Wang’s article ‘Lianas have a faster resource acquisition strategy than trees: Below-ground evidence from root traits, phylogeny and the root economics space‘ is…
Nectar Harmonies: a long-term analysis of European forest herb layers | Journal of Ecology Blog
Wim De Schuyter, Pieter De Frenne, Emiel De Lombaerde, Leen Depauw, Pallieter De Smedt, Lander Baeten, Kris Verheyen explore declining potential nectar production in this post and also at: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1365-2745.14274 Springtime is upon us and soon new generations of insects will emerge and buzz around in our landscapes. In search for food, and later on…
2023 Harper Prize Shortlist: Early Career Research Award | Journal of Ecology Blog
The Harper Prize is awarded annually by the British Ecological Society for the best paper in Journal of Ecology by an early career author. We are pleased to present the shortlisted papers for the 2023 award (published in Volume 111): ⭐️ Chenhui Chang: Reciprocal bark exchange helps to disentangle tree species-dependent bark and wood trait effects on invertebrate diversity⭐️ Yikang Cheng: Divergent…
The diversity of recovering forests is driven by seed dispersal from fruit eating animals. | Journal of Ecology Blog
Jorge Isla discusses his article: “Animal-mediated seed dispersal and the demo-genertic configuration across plant colonization gradients.” The seeds of Juniperus phoenicea are dispersed by frugivores such as the song thrush (Turdus philomelos) in a typical landscape of Doñana National Park (Spain). Illustration by Antonio Isla. Background Significant changes in the landscape, such as rural abandonment…
Journal of Ecology: International Women’s Day 2024 | Journal of Ecology Blog
To celebrate International Women's Day 2024, the BES journals 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 Charlotte Ndiribe Hello! I am…
The March Art Gallery | Journal of Ecology Blog
This month our artists include Zuojie Li, Prashanth M.B, Huiyan Zhang, Luis Guallichico and Stephanie Clark. Mediums include performance art, oils, palette knives, printable screen enamel, stencils, watercolours and moss. Artist: Zuojie Li Title: Snail House Snail House depicts a snail man’s world in a surreal way, regardless of age or sex. Life in cramped…
Elena Quintero disentangles the lasting effects frugivore birds have in the early recruitment of plant species | Journal of Ecology Blog
Some of the most common species of frugivorous birds known to consume and disperse Pistacia lentiscus fruits. In clockwise order starting from top left and with their migrant behaviour code in brackets: Saxicola rubicola (R), Curruca melanocephala (R), Turdus philomelos (W), Sylvia borin (TS), Sylvia atricapilla (W), Phoenicurus phoenicurus (TS), Erithacus rubecula (W), Turdus merula…
The February Art Gallery | Journal of Ecology Blog
The February Art Gallery features the work of NeoMeta, Wiebke Pandikow, Agnese Bankovska and Sophie Anna Gibbings. Mediums include jewellery, plastics, living organisms, drawing, installation, sound, printmaking, alternative process photography, painting, and sculpture. Artist: NeoMeta Title: MetaNature NeoMeta explores hidden narratives and unheard stories of slime and plants with the non-living post-human ecosphere of the…
Evolution of Setaria viridis in coastal habitats begins with the divergence of variants from local populations | Journal of Ecology Blog
Matsuo Itoh discusses his article: ‘Parapatric and sympatric adaptation of Setaria viridis populations in Japan to heterogeneous coastal habitats via trait divergence of plant form, salt spray tolerance and flowering time.’ Maritime ecotypes Two sampling sites with four different habitats. Maritime plants contain dwarf ecotypes that are adapted for exposure to strong winds and salt…
Aboveground herbivory facilitates belowground mutualists in Ambrosia plants: the role of root fatty acids | Journal of Ecology Blog
Zhenlong Xing, from Jianqing Ding’s lab, Henan University, discusses his article: ‘Foliar herbivory-enhanced mycorrhization is associated with increased levels of lipids in root and root exudates.’ Spodoptera caterpillars feed on Ambrosia plants (credit: Qingjie Pan and Yuqing Hu). Background At 8:45 p.m., October 21, 2020, the master candidate, Zhongyue Zhang, ran towards me, exclaiming “It…
Carine Emer on the intricate interactions between plants and their natural enemies in tropical forests | Journal of Ecology Blog
Once upon a time… large mammals flourished in the lush tropical forests of South America. Those giants evolved as key ecosystem engineers, acting as top-down regulators of ecological processes, either by predating on other smaller-sized animals, or feeding on plants, eating fruits and seeds, browsing and chewing leaves and branches, or even by trampling and…
Meet the Editors! Amy Iler & Pierre Mariotte | Journal of Ecology Blog
We’re delighted to announce that Dr Pierre Mariotte and Dr Amy Iler have recently been appointed as new Senior Editors for Journal of Ecology. Amy has been an Associate Editor with the journal since 2015 and joins the Senior Editor team on a fixed-term maternity cover contract, and Pierre has been an Associate Editor since…
Key Concepts in Ecology: Movement of elements in ecosystems | Journal of Ecology Blog
This blog post on ‘Movement of elements in ecosystems’ 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…
Kristiina Visakorpi asks: how do tree seedlings tolerate extreme climates, and does this matter for future forests? | Journal of Ecology Blog
The greenhouse was filled with small tree seedlings during the experiment. Photo credit: Anna Görlich Most trees die as seedlings When we think about tree mortality, we tend to think about large trees falling in a storm or burning down in a forest fire. Nevertheless, most trees die as small seedlings, often just weeks or…
Mangroves in the desert: unraveling the mystery of mangrove survival in Baja California’s unique environment | Journal of Ecology Blog
Rémi Bardou discusses his article: ‘Effects of cold water and aridity on Baja California mangrove survival and ecophysiological traits.’ Mangroves in Las Animas, Baja California. Introduction Mangroves are extraordinary trees, prospering at the intersection of land and sea. These trees are pivotal in coastal ecosystems, supporting marine life and biodiversity. They also serve as natural…
Dr Xoaquin Moreira talks species interactions in natural or agro-forestry systems | Journal of Ecology Blog
This work came up on a solid and long-lasting collaboration between four institutions (from Spain, Mexico, Netherlands and Switzerland). This collaboration focussed, to a large extent, on investigating the ecological drivers and consequences of species interactions in natural or agro-forestry systems. Our research has focused on understanding the role of “bottom-up” factors (e.g., variation in…
Key Concepts in Ecology: Community succession | Journal of Ecology Blog
This blog post on ‘Community succession’ 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 series for a list of key topics you might typically find in an ecology textbook, each providing a quick introduction to the…
Drought-tolerant species also resist competition in grasslands | Journal of Ecology Blog
Hailey Mount discusses her recent article: ‘Drought tolerant grassland species are generally more resistant to competition.’ The Central Plains and Southwestern United States provided an excellent system to test the relationship between drought-tolerance and resistance to competition (Photo credit Plant ECO-Physiology at California State University). Background The success of the different plants in a community…