Volume 107 Issue 3 of Journal of Ecology is now available online!
This issue of Journal of Ecology includes articles about Humboldt, Eurasian grasslands, seagrass resistance, novel pest outbreaks in birch forests, and much more!
The Editor’s Choice paper for this issue is by Carla Staver, Corli Wigley‐Coetsee and Judith Botha and is titled ‘Grazer movements exacerbate grass declines during drought in an African savanna‘. The paper helps us to understand how important grazing animals, such as elephants and buffalo, are to plant response to low rainfall years in the savanna. Senior Editor Amy Austin has taken a more in depth look at the paper in her blog post.
The cover image for this issue was sent in by Jake Grossmann. The photo shows a hard, rust-coloured “gall” formed by cedar apple gall rust (Gymnosporangium juniperae‐virginiae) on eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana). The first spring rains of the new year cause the galls to send out bright, orange tentacles which release wind‐dispersed teleospores, which can then infect neighbouring trees of the fungus’s alternate host, Malus spp. The image is related to Jake’s paper on forest diversity.
Here are some more of the fantastic photos submitted to the journal for issue 3:
Journal of Ecology Blog 