Journal of Ecology is thrilled to welcome four new Associate Editors who have joined the Editorial Board in recent months. Kathy van Alstyne, Mahesh Sankaran, Kun-Fang Cao and Giselda Durigan all join the Editorial Board and you can find out more about them below.

Kathy van Alstyne (Western Washington University, USA)

I am interested in the ecology, physiology, and biochemistry of intertidal and shallow subtidal seaweeds, seagrasses, and invertebrates that harbour endosymbiotic algae, such as corals. Although I have studied many aspects of the ecology and physiology of these organisms, I am particularly interested in the role that natural products play in consumer-prey interactions and in coping with environmental stress. Much of my research looks at the costs, benefits, and environmental impacts of producing these metabolites.  Recently, this work has focused on the production of airborne and waterborne signaling compounds, such as small sulfur metabolites and reactive oxygen species, by seaweeds that form large blooms.

Mahesh Sankaran (National Centre for Biological Sciences, India)

Mahesh Sankaran is an ecologist who works at the interface between community and ecosystem dynamics.  His research is mostly carried out in savanna ecosystems in Africa and India, and examines how interactions and feedbacks between climate, biogeochemistry, fires and herbivory influence the distribution, structure and functioning of tropical savannas.  His work also addresses links between biodiversity and ecosystem stability and function, and in particular, how global change drivers such as increased temperature, altered precipitation regimes, and nutrient deposition impact ecosystem function, stability and services.

Kun-Fang Cao (Guangxi University, China)

Kun-Fang’s research focuses on plant hydraulics, water relations, photosynthesis and photo-protection of (sub-)tropical plants from natural communities, plantation forests and agricultural crops, to provide insights into plant adaptation and support management and conservation efforts. His research also includes the use of phylogenetic techniques to investigate trait and niche evolution, and ancestral trait reconstruction, in collaboration with his colleagues. In addition, he is jointly leading the plot monitoring program on the dynamics of primary tropical and subtropical forests across the Guangxi Zhuang-Nationality Autonomous Region, China.

Giselda Durigan (Instituto Florestal do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil)

Giselda’s research focuses on terrestrial ecosystems in the tropics, especially savannas, grasslands and seasonal forests, frequently involving their structure, species composition and the investigation of factors behind spatial differences and changes over time. Much of her work aim at the application of ecological knowledge for ecosystem conservation, management and restoration.

Read about the rest of our Editorial Board on the Journal website.