Xoaquín Moreira, Misión Biológica de Galicia (CSIC, Spain), discusses his article: Global insular leaf size shifts follow the island rule, independently of insect herbivory and macroclimate This work came out of a collaboration between 17 institutions across five continents, all brought together by a shared interest in island biogeography. By combining data, expertise, and fieldwork…
Nohemi Huanca-Nunez, Yale University, discusses her article: Integrated demographic strategies are more strongly associated with variation in conspecific density dependence than single traits in tropical tree seedlings, in both English and Spanish. A long-standing question in plant ecology is how so many tree species can coexist in tropical forests. A key part of the answer…
Johanne Gresse, University of Tübingen, discusses her article: Drought resistance drives population temporal stability of annuals in drylands Imagine a desert after rain. For a few brief weeks, the ground bursts into a colourful carpet of annual plants. At first glance, this display seems fleeting and fragile. But when observed over many years, a pattern…
Gang Yang and Zuzana Münzbergová, Charles University in Prague, discuss their article: Contrasting drought responses in two grassland plant-microbe systems under climate change Drought is becoming more frequent and intense under global change, but plant responses vary widely. Some species are adapted to tolerate stress, while others perform well only when resources are abundant. Because…
Donghao Wu, from the Zhejiang University in China, discusses their article: The intrinsic coordination of tree growth strategy and wood decomposability What happens after a tree dies? As plant ecologists, we often focus on how trees grow: how fast they capture carbon, how tall they become, and how long they live. But forests are not…
Rose Brinkoff and Olivia Vought, University of Michigan, discuss their article: The impact of warming on peak-season ecosystem carbon uptake is influenced by dominant species in warmer sites Ecosystems both absorb and release carbon. Carbon dioxide gas (CO2) in the atmosphere is taken up by plants through the process of photosynthesis and released by plants…
Markus Wagner, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Sandra Varga, University of Lincoln, and Richard Jefferson, former Natural England grassland specialist, discuss their article: Biological Flora of Britain and Ireland: Geranium sylvaticum Wood crane’s-bill as a model species for pollination ecology and plant breeding systems The structural adaptations of wood crane’s-bill (Geranium sylvaticum) to facilitate…
Marco Barandun, Agroscope and University of Zurich, discusses his article: Scaling species richness: When vegetation surveys don’t match in plot area What can you do when your dataset contains vegetation surveys with plots the size of a shoebox alongside plots the size of a living room? This was exactly the situation I found myself in…
Kai Shi, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, discusses his article: CSR strategy shifts under biotic resistance and grazing drive invasion success of Solanum rostratum in northern China Ecological theory offers two powerful explanations for why invasions should fail. Diverse native communities are expected to resist newcomers through competition,…
Annie Schiffer, Utah State University, discusses her article: The importance of accounting for spatial heterogeneity in studies of plant competition and coexistence Our paper explores how ignoring spatial environmental heterogeneity produces biases in competition and coexistence models. The original motivation for this study was to explain why interspecific competition was underestimated in observational studies of…
Laura Matas-Granados, Autonomous University of Madrid, discusses her article: Species functional traits affect regional and local dominance across western Amazonian forests Lowland forests in western Amazonia are among the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, harbouring hundreds of tree species living side by side. Despite this exceptional diversity, only a few tree species dominate these forests,…
Lukas Meysick, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, discusses his article: Facilitation and constraint: Wave exposure and intraspecific interactions influence mangrove seedling morphology and resistance to dislodgement When mangrove forests come to mind, many people picture tropical coasts lined with diverse tree communities, sometimes consisting of more than 20 species in a single region. With this…
Ramalka H. Kasige, Ximena Cibils-Stewart, Adam Frew, and Scott N. Johnson from Western Sydney University in Australia, discuss their article: Interactions between beneficial fungi and plant silicon: A review Plants are continually exposed to stresses — from drought, salinity, and metal toxicity to herbivores and pathogens. To withstand these challenges, they employ multiple strategies, including…
Xingli Xia and Jianyang Xia, East China Normal University, discuss their article: Flower-leaf sequence shapes plant phenological sensitivity to warming Every spring, we witness nature’s awakening as flowers bloom and leaves unfold. But have you ever noticed that some plants burst into bloom before their leaves appear, while others do the opposite? This seemingly simple…
Baoshuang Hu and Wei Sun, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Jilin Songnen Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Northeast Normal University, discuss their article: Beyond species richness: grazing and fertilization shape temperate grassland stability through distinct stabilizing effects Imagine a vast, windswept grassland. To the casual observer, it might…
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