Regrown but not recovered: Forest management regime alters deadwood volume and wood-inhabiting fungal diversity

Vincent Buness, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, discusses his article: Distinct diversity trajectories of boreal wood-inhabiting fungi following fire vs. clear-cutting As humans, we tend to trust our senses and assume that we can perceive most of what surrounds us. When we walk through the forest, we see trees with their stems and canopy, and…

One hundred years of change in the Tatra Mountains forests: Why history matters

Kacper Foremnik, Department of Forest Biodiversity of the University of Agriculture in Krakow in Poland, discusses his article: Century-long trends in plant diversity of temperate mountain vegetation are modulated along elevation gradient One hundred years ago, a group of outstanding researchers carried out pioneering phytosociological surveys in the Polish part of the Tatra Mountains. At…

Jianguo Ma: Ammonium preference and microbial nitrification inhibition drive the expansion of a poisonous plant in alpine -meadows

2025 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: For the next two weeks, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2025 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Jianguo Ma’s ‘Ammonium preference and microbial nitrification inhibition drive the expansion of a poisonous plant in alpine -meadows‘ is one of…

Habitat quality sets the limits of neighbourhood effects in epiphyte communities

Theresa Möller, University of Hamburg in Germany, discusses her article: Effects of habitat quality and fine-scale spatial structure on epiphytic lichen and bryophyte communities Epiphytic lichens and bryophytes inhabit one of the most heterogeneous habitats in forest ecosystems: the bark of living trees. Different tree species provide distinct habitat conditions, leading to distinct epiphyte communities…

Linus Söderquist: Population viability of the orchid Gymnadenia conopsea increases with population size but is not related to genetic diversity

2025 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: For the next two weeks, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2025 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Linus Söderquist’s ‘Population viability of the orchid Gymnadenia conopsea increases with population size but is not related to genetic diversity’ is one of…

Xuening Zhang: Pollinator facilitation between florally contrasting congeners scales up to regional co-occurrence patterns

2025 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: For the next two weeks, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2025 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Xuening Zhang’s ‘Pollinator facilitation between florally contrasting congeners scales up to regional co-occurrence patterns‘ is one of those shortlisted for the award.…

Jie Li: Plant species loss reduces rare soil microbes through diversity effects amplified by multitrophic interactions

2025 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: For the next two weeks, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2025 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Jie Li’s ‘Plant species loss reduces rare soil microbes through diversity effects amplified by multitrophic interactions‘ is one of those shortlisted…

Paul Kühn & Raymond Umazekabiri: Nitrogen content of herbarium specimens from arable fields and mesic meadows reflect the intensifying agricultural management during the 20th century

2025 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: For the next two weeks, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2025 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Paul Kühn & Raymond Umazekabiri’s ‘Nitrogen content of herbarium specimens from arable fields and mesic meadows reflect the intensifying agricultural management during…

2025 Harper Prize Winner – Jing Xiao: The proportion of low abundance species is a key predictor of plant β-diversity across the latitudinal gradient

2025 HARPER PRIZE SHORTLIST: For the next two weeks, we are featuring the articles shortlisted for the 2025 Harper Prize. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Jing Xiao’s ‘The proportion of low abundance species is a key predictor of plant β-diversity across the latitudinal gradient‘ is one of…