Who hasn’t received emails from dubious sounding journals requesting manuscript submission? These emails are very common nowadays and generally ignored, immediately deleted or left in the junk mail. But, what is hidden behind these emails from so-called predatory journals? In this blog post, Nicolas Fanin, Guille Peguero and Journal of Ecology Associate Editors Paul Kardol and…
Authors, Reviewers and Editors: All part of the review process! As an author, I know the peer review process can be stressful and frustrating; waiting for months to finally get a decision on a submitted manuscript, generally after months or years of work. As a reviewer, I know how reviewing manuscripts can be demanding, adding extra…
In this video podcast, Emily Bruns explains the findings of her recently published paper in Journal of Ecology: Is there a disease‐free halo at species range limits? The codistribution of anther‐smut disease and its host species. Watch the video to see how Emily validates the theory that frequency-dependent disease transmission can affect host populations! Emily’s video can also be…
Harvard University press release A first-of-its-kind study used herbarium specimens to track insect herbivory across more than a century, and found that, across four species – shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor), showy tick trefoil (Desmodium canadense) and wild lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) – specimens collected in the early 2000s were 23%…
University of Basel press release Between April and August this year, Switzerland and central Europe have experienced the driest summer season since 1864. The forests especially seem to suffer from this dry spell: as early as August, trees began to turn brown this year. A new study by the University of Basel indicates now that…
Villanova University press release Sea level rise and extreme weather events have become harsh realities for those living along the world’s coasts. The record-breaking hurricanes of the past decade in the United States have led to staggering tolls on coastal infrastructure and communities, leading many local governments to consider the benefits of natural coastal barriers.…
Marine Biological Association press release Kelp forests in the UK and the wider North-East Atlantic will experience a marked change in ecosystem functioning in response to continued ocean warming and the increase of warm-water kelp species, according to a new study led by a team from the Marine Biological Association and the University of Plymouth.…
Jennifer Rowntree (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Hayley Craig (University of Manchester) have had their study on grassland species and genetic diversity published in Journal of Ecology. Jennifer tells us more about the paper in the article below, and you can also read the Manchester Metropolitan University press release. We are currently experiencing a ‘biodiversity crisis’…
Daniel Souto‐Vilarós tells us more about his recent Journal of Ecology paper on fig-wasp mutualisms. You can see Daniel present his work at Evolution 2018 – his poster is part of Session 1 and will be available to view up on Level 2 on August 19th and 20th (Poster number: P-0200, S-18). Plant-pollinator interactions offer a unique…
Matt Barbour tells us about his recently published paper; Trait plasticity is more important than genetic variation in determining species richness of associated communities. If you are at Evolution 2018 in Montpellier, you can hear more about Matt’s work in his presentation: Food-web complexity alters the fitness landscape of an insect herbivore (Monday 20th August, Auditorium Berlioz, 10.10am, as part of…
The latest issue of Journal of Ecology includes a Special Feature guest edited by Ignasi Bartomeus and Oscar Godoy. Below, Ignasi and Oscar tell us more about the inspiration behind their Special Feature and how they went about putting it all together. Why a special issue on biotic controls of plant coexistence? The quick answer…
The Editor’s Choice paper for issue 5 is a study on the variation in senescence across different strains of duckweed by Patrick Barks and colleagues. Rob Salguero-Gómez, who handled the paper as an Associate Editor, has given some thoughts on the significance of the work. One could say that modern human societies are slaves to the clock.…
Volume 106 Issue 5 of Journal of Ecology is now online! Issue 5 includes a Special Feature guest edited by Ignasi Bartomeus and Oscar Godoy. The Special Feature, titled ‘Biotic controls of plant coexistence’, consists of 10 research papers along with an editorial from the guest editors. The Editor’s choice for this issue is a…
New Orleans has been an exciting venue for the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America this year (#ESA2018). Delegates were faced with the task of balancing time in sessions and sampling the culinary and musical delights of this vibrant American city. Journal of Ecology Associate Editor delegates enjoyed dinner at Tommy’s following a…
Franciska De Vries is an Associate Professor at The University of Manchester. Her research interests are focused on the effects of land use and climate change on soil biodiversity, and subsequently on the effects of changes in soil biodiversity on ecosystem processes. She is particularly interested in how plants and soil microbial communities interact under…
