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🏆Eminent Ecologist 2024: Fernando T. Maestre (part V: epilogue) | Journal of Ecology Blog
The Journal of Ecology Editors are delighted to announce that Fernando Maestre is our Eminent Ecologist award winner for 2024! In recognition of his work, we asked Fernando to put together a virtual issue of some of his favourite contributions to the journal. Fernando has also written this blog series, and was interviewed by Richard Bardgett about about how he started his career in ecology,…
🏆Eminent Ecologist 2024: Fernando T. Maestre (part IV: observational studies & scientific collaboration) | Journal of Ecology Blog
The Journal of Ecology Editors are delighted to announce that Fernando Maestre is our Eminent Ecologist award winner for 2024! In recognition of his work, we asked Fernando to put together a virtual issue of some of his favourite contributions to the journal. Fernando has also written this blog series, and was interviewed by Richard Bardgett about about how he started his career in ecology,…
🏆Eminent Ecologist 2024: Fernando T. Maestre (part III: biocrust ecology) | Journal of Ecology Blog
The Journal of Ecology Editors are delighted to announce that Fernando Maestre is our Eminent Ecologist award winner for 2024! In recognition of his work, we asked Fernando to put together a virtual issue of some of his favourite contributions to the journal. Fernando has also written this blog series, and was interviewed by Richard Bardgett about about how he started his career in ecology,…
🏆Eminent Ecologist 2024: Fernando T. Maestre (part II: biotic interactions) | Journal of Ecology Blog
The Journal of Ecology Editors are delighted to announce that Fernando Maestre is our Eminent Ecologist award winner for 2024! In recognition of his work, we asked Fernando to put together a virtual issue of some of his favourite contributions to the journal. Fernando has also written this blog series, and was interviewed by Richard Bardgett about about how he started his career in ecology,…
How Insularity Shapes Plant-Herbivore-Predator Interactions | Journal of Ecology Blog
Carla Vázquez-González, University of California, Irvine & Misión Biológica de Galicia (CSIC), discusses her article: Testing the contribution of vertebrate predators and leaf traits to mainland-island differences in insect herbivory on oaks Insularity research on plant-herbivore interactions Islands have long fascinated evolutionary ecologists, beginning with the early observational studies of naturalists like Charles Darwin and…
🏆Eminent Ecologist 2024: Fernando T. Maestre (part I: introduction) | Journal of Ecology Blog
Fernando T. Maestre, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology The Journal of Ecology Editors are delighted to announce that Fernando Maestre is our Eminent Ecologist award winner for 2024! In recognition of his work, we asked Fernando to put together a virtual issue of some of his favorite contributions to the journal. Fernando has also written this blog series, and was interviewed by…
Understanding How Climate Change Affects Plant Growth Through Soil | Journal of Ecology Blog
Anna Florianová (@IBOTCZ; @popecolIBOT), Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, describes her article: Climate-driven shifts in plant-soil feedback of a perennial grass species As the climate changes, scientists are becoming increasingly interested in how these shifts impact plant growth. Climate change does not only have direct effects on plants, but may also affect…
Green fluorescent protein technique reveals the secrets of host-specific pathogens in forests | Journal of Ecology Blog
Keke Cheng & Shixiao Yu, from Sun Yat-sen University, discuss their article: Specificity determinants of pathogens in forest in English and Chinese. Background Autumn has come and the fruit is ripe. Seeds fall from the tree and spread around the mother tree, attracting squirrels who love to eat them. Squirrels came and ate a large…
Understanding fine root decomposition in the context of the root economics space (RES) | Journal of Ecology Blog
Saheed Olaide Jimoh (@sahjim05), University of Wyoming, discusses his article: Traits associated with the conservation gradient are the strongest predictors of early-stage fine root decomposition rates Kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) in a lowland conifer-broadleaf forest in the Northland temperate kauri forest ecoregion, at Waingaro Landing, Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand. Photo by Daniel Laughlin. Background Fine root…
Cover stories (112:10): Using machine learning to link climate, phylogeny & leaf area | Journal of Ecology Blog
The cover image for our October issue shows the first part of an automated process to extract leaf area from herbarium images. Here the model's predictions of leaves are on the pressed plant specimen of Corymbia gilbertensis. The image relates to the Editor's Choice article ‘Using machine learning to link climate, phylogeny and leaf area in eucalypts through…
Can tree species diversity make our forest more resilient to climate change? | Journal of Ecology Blog
Eugénie Mas, from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (@MasPlantphys) discusses her article: Drought effects in Mediterranean forests are not alleviated by diversity-driven water source partitioning Forest are unique ecosystems where each species of animal, plant, and microorganism interact together to provide many services, called ecosystem services. These services can benefit humans directly through wood production,…
Black History Month 2024: Dr. Sharon Kahara | Journal of Ecology Blog
For Black History Month 2024, the British Ecological Society (BES) journals are celebrating the work of Black ecologists around the world and sharing their stories. In this blog, Dr. Sharon Kahara shares her story and journey in academia. Name: Dr. Sharon Kahara Affiliation: University of New Haven, USA Ecology Interests: Wetlands, wildlife, carbon dynamics How did you get…
Seagrass-oyster facilitation at risk under future ocean conditions | Journal of Ecology Blog
Fiona Ralph, from Bowdoin College, discusses her article: Shifting seagrass-oyster interactions alter species response to ocean warming and acidification The Why: Eelgrass and oysters are ecosystem building species that both have economic, ecological, and cultural importance in Maine. Eelgrass populates much of the soft-sediment coastal subtidal in the Northern Hemisphere, which is also where most of…
Editor’s Choice (112:10): Using machine learning to link climate, phylogeny & leaf area | Journal of Ecology Blog
The editor’s choice for our October issue is ‘Using machine learning to link climate, phylogeny and leaf area in eucalypts through a 50-fold expansion of leaf trait datasets‘, by Karina Guo et al. Illustrated here is the first part of an automated process to extract leaf area from herbarium images. Here the model's predictions of leaves are on…
Do mutualist limitations hinder ectomycorrhizal tree seedling establishment in North American secondary forests? | Journal of Ecology Blog
Andrew Cortese, from Michigan State University, discusses his article: Ectomycorrhizal tree islands in arbuscular mycorrhizal forests: hotspots of fungal inoculum important for seedling establishment of historically dominant trees Present-day forests echo past disturbance history Northeastern North American forests are comprised of a mixture of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EM) trees. However, by the turn…
Launching our Associate Editor mentoring program! | Journal of Ecology Blog
Are you an early career researcher from the Global South, looking to gain editorial experience? We're welcoming applications for our newly launched Associate Editor mentoring program! 🔎 What the role involves Successful applicants will be given the opportunity to join the Journal of Ecology Editorial Board for 2 years. This voluntary position aims to develop…
Exploring How Mycorrhiza Affect Strawberry Offspring: A Look at Sexual vs. Clonal Reproduction | Journal of Ecology Blog
Vít Latzel (@LatzelV; @IBOTCZ; @popecolIBOT), Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, discusses his article: Transgenerational effects of mycorrhiza are stronger in sexual than in clonal offspring of Fragaria vesca and are partly adaptive Clonal and sexual offspring of Fragaria vesca in our study. Photo by Vít Latzel. BackgroundPlants have a great capacity…
Are large grazers a boon or bane for temperate salt marshes? Exploring context-dependency in the top-down trophic interactions of charismatic megafauna | Journal of Ecology Blog
Sean J Sharp (@seancologie, Linkedin), from University of Maryland, discusses his article: Large grazers suppress a foundational plant and reduce soil carbon concentration in eastern US saltmarshes Wild horses grazing on Cumberland Island, Georgia, USA. Photo by Kate Davidson. Grazing has been a common practice in temperate salt marshes for millennia. In European saltmarshes, the…
Meet the Editor (Biological Flora): Sarah Dalrymple | Journal of Ecology Blog
Name: Sarah DalrympleLocation: Liverpool John Moores University, UK We’re delighted to announce that Sarah Dalrymple has been appointed as a new Senior Editor for the Biological Flora at Journal of Ecology, to work alongside Anthony Davy. Sarah has worked on Biological Flora accounts for a number of years as an Associate Editor, and we’re excited…
Understanding how diversity and disturbance affect biomass stock and productivity | Journal of Ecology Blog
Erica Rievrs Borges, Institut de recherche pour le développement in France, discusses her article: Evolutionary diversity impacts tropical forest biomass and productivity through disturbance-mediated ecological pathways in both English and French. Understanding Biodiversity and Biomass We know that tropical forests are incredibly important, partly because they account for around half of global forest aboveground carbon…
Editor’s Choice (112:09): How do yellow-necked mice & common oaks navigate a dynamic mutualism? | Journal of Ecology Blog
The editor’s choice for our September issue is ‘Scatterhoarder abundance and advantages of seed burial drive dynamics of a tree–rodent interaction‘, by Rafał Zwolak et al.: This study examines how density-dependent foraging decisions and abiotic conditions jointly influence mutualistic benefits. The results show that mutualistic interactions between yellow-necked mice and common oaks are highly influenced by mouse abundance…
Bringing habitat patches into the species distribution models world | Journal of Ecology Blog
Federico Riva, Environmental Geography Dept. of the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM),Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, discusses his review article: Incorporating effects of habitat patches into species distribution models Habitat patches are everywhere – forests surrounded by agriculture, pastures within Alpine forests, or green areas in a city. This patchiness of many ecosystem types is key to…
How mycorrhizal associations are growing our understanding of plant-soil feedback across plant communities | Journal of Ecology Blog
Andrew Eagar and Sara Moledor, from Michigan State University’s Department of Plant Biology, discuss their research group’s new review paper: Setting the Stage for Plant-Soil Feedback: Mycorrhizal Influences over Conspecific Recruitment, Plant and Fungal Communities, and Coevolution A patch of temperate hardwood forest at the W. K. Kellogg Biological Station in South Gull Lake, Michigan.…
Entangled? How to resolve feedbacks between diversity and productivity in natural systems | Journal of Ecology Blog
Meadow with foxtail grass (Alopecurus spp.) in the Schorfheide-Chorin, credit: Victoria Henning. Karl Andraczek (@KarlAndraczek), from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, discusses his article: Weak reciprocal relationships between productivity and plant biodiversity in managed grasslands Setting The Scene Global change impacts both plant diversity and ecosystem functioning with detrimental consequences for…
Timing of nutrient resorption from senesced leaves: steady-and-slow versus late-and-fast | Journal of Ecology Blog
Yu-Kun Hu, from Lanzhou University, discusses his article: Leaf functional traits predict timing of nutrient resorption and carbon depletion in deciduous subarctic plants Nutrient resorption from senescing leaves is an important way that plants maintain their nutrient balance, meeting more than 1/3 of their total nutrient requirements. Thus, these nutrients are critical for plant growth…
Qun Zhang & Xincheng Li on Genetic Diversity: The Hidden Key to Salt Marsh Restoration | Journal of Ecology Blog
Picture yourself walking along a coastal salt marsh. The squishy mud beneath your feet, the chorus of bird calls, and the distant shimmer of the sea - this seemingly ordinary scene is actually a vibrant ecosystem in action. Salt marshes are more than just scenic wetlands; they're nature's multitaskers, providing homes for countless species, shielding…
Editor’s Choice (112:08): Fungi & deadwood diversity: A test of the area-heterogeneity trade-off hypothesis | Journal of Ecology Blog
The editor’s choice for our August issue is ‘Fungi and deadwood diversity: A test of the area-heterogeneity trade-off hypothesis‘, by Max Zibold et al.: Environmental heterogeneity is one of the most fundamental drivers of species diversity. For decades, ecologists have suggested that heterogeneity–diversity relationships are generally positive. But today, a greater variety of heterogeneity–diversity relationships is discussed. In…
Why it makes sense for trees to reproduce in synchrony | Journal of Ecology Blog
Mario B. Pesendorfer, Institute of Forest Ecology, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, BOKU – University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria, discusses his article: Positive spatial and temporal density-dependence drive early reproductive economy-of-scale effects of masting in a European old-growth forest community Studying a primeval forest provides insights about natural drivers of…
Do Phylogenetic Relationships Influence Priority Effects in Grassland Plants? | Journal of Ecology Blog
Julia Dieskau, from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, discusses her article ‘Phylogenetic relationships and plant life stage but not biogeographic history mediate priority effects of European grassland plants’ Background What factors determine the composition of plant communities? Many scientists have been exploring this question from various perspectives throughout the past century. Despite their efforts, there are…
A mini-review as true team effort | Journal of Ecology Blog
Karen De Paw, Dries Landuyt and Kris Verheyen talk teamwork at ForNaLab. Approximately one year ago, the Journal of Ecology invited plant ecologists to write mini-reviews on the theme of nature-based solutions. Given our background in forest ecology, this sparked the idea within our research group of coming up with a review that would summarise…
Editor’s Choice (112:07): The effects of microplastic pollution on plant growth | Journal of Ecology Blog
The editor’s choice for our July issue is ‘The more microplastic types pollute the soil, the stronger the growth suppression of invasive alien and native plants‘, by Yanmei Fu et al.: The ecological consequences of microplastic pollution for plants remain largely unknown, and the few studies that have tested the effects usually focused on a single type…
How extinct megafrugivores shaped Malagasy palm genetics through seed dispersal | Journal of Ecology Blog
Plants, as sessile organisms, depend on seed dispersal as a crucial mechanism for colonizing new areas. This has driven the evolution of various dispersal strategies in plants, including the development of 'megafruits'—fruits typically larger than 4 cm containing up to 5 large seeds. Megafruits are thought to have evolved primarily for dispersal by megafauna, the…
🌈Pride Month 2024: Jill Love | Journal of Ecology Blog
Happy Pride Month! Join the British Ecological Society in this annual, global celebration as we share stories from STEM researchers who belong to the LGBTQ+ community. In this post, Jill Love (she/her), PhD candidate at Tulane University of New Orleans, shares her perspectives as a field researcher on why Pride in National Parks is more…
Unraveling the Complex Interactions in Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystems | Journal of Ecology Blog
Eric Duell, from the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, discusses his article: 'Mycorrhizal-herbivore interactions and the competitive release of subdominant tallgrass prairie species' Tallgrass prairies of central and eastern North America are characterized by diverse plant communities consisting of grasses and forbs (often called wildflowers or broadleaves) which possess a variety of…
Fofos e Ecologicamente Relevantes! Pedro Hoffmann and Andy Green on how cute rodents can be ecologically relevant | Journal of Ecology Blog
O Papel de Capivaras e ratões-do-banhado em Áreas Úmidas / The Role of Capybaras and Nutrias in Wetlands Capivaras na área de estudo / Capybaras at the study site (Foto: Pedro Hoffmann) Roedores como pequenos camundongos, esquilos e porquinhos-da-índia, são mundialmente conhecidos por sua aparência amigável e fofa. Assim como os maiores roedores do mundo…
Jaime Moyano on the negative impacts of planting trees in treeless ecosystems to mitigate climate change | Journal of Ecology Blog
Climate change is one of the most important challenges of our time. Although reducing energy use and limiting the emission of greenhouse gases are the most effective solutions, this may not be feasible in many countries yet. On the other hand, replacing naturally treeless ecosystems (such as grasslands, shrublands and wetlands) with tree plantations (afforestation)…
The Biological Flora champions Sea Campions | Journal of Ecology Blog
Biological Flora author (and editor) Anthony Davy introduces a fascinating coastal species that offers many more ecological insights than one might imagine. This account of the Sea Campion (Silene uniflora) is the latest contribution to the long-running Biological Flora of Britain and Ireland series. The article itself has a long history: unusually, the authors include…
Always put eggs in two baskets? The “wisdom” of a seed-dimorphic aster to cope with environmental uncertainty. | Journal of Ecology Blog
Qian Gan (left) and Huixuan Liao (right) (photo credit: Zihao Chen) Huixuan Liao and Qian Gan, Sun Yat-sen University School of Life Sciences, discuss their article: ‘Spatiotemporal interaction of risk-spreading strategies for a seed-dimorphic plant’ Background Maternal modification of offspring stress tolerance is a ubiquitous phenomenon in plant and animal kingdoms that affects population persistence…
Editor’s Choice (112:05): Mediterranean ecosystems at risk of crossing tipping point with warming & fire beyond Holocene levels | Journal of Ecology Blog
The editor’s choice for our May issue is 'Simulating past and future fire impacts on Mediterranean ecosystems', by Christoph Schwörer et al. Here, Associate Editor Anping Chen discusses the importance of this research: Characterized by a distinct climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, the Mediterranean region is also often associated with frequent and…
Joshua Brian explores the link between plant damage and performance | Journal of Ecology Blog
Plant enemies like insect herbivores and fungal pathogens eat or degrade plant tissue. How does this affect performance? Photo: Josh Brian We are invasion biologists, studying how and why species become invasive. One of the biggest hypotheses in our field is the ‘enemy release hypothesis’, which says that species become invasive because they escape from…