Wei Lin and Chengjin Chu, Sun Yat-sen University, discuss their article: Interannual rainfall variability promotes species coexistence primarily through relative nonlinearity in interaction strength Ecologists often study species coexistence as if environmental conditions remain constant over time. But in the real world, rainfall can vary dramatically from one year to the next. Does this variability…
Nicolas D. Zurbuchen, University of Zurich, discusses his article: Intraspecific trait variation responds consistently to global change drivers and mediates herbivory across unrelated plant species Plants may look still, but they live in a busy world. Around them, insects and other invertebrates are feeding, fungi are infecting leaves, and the climate is changing. For plant…
Duo Chen, University of Konstanz in Germany, discusses her article: Induced resistance of plants reduces their negative soil-legacy effects on natives but not on naturalized aliens Plants leave a lasting imprint on the soil Plants do much more than grow in soil. Throughout their lives, they alter the environment around their roots by taking up…
Caiyue Yang and Shaopeng Li, from East China Normal University, and Scott J. Meiners, from Eastern Illinois University, discuss their article: Compensatory and statistical-averaging effects jointly explain the decrease in species asynchrony over 60 years of succession A long-term view of succession If you had walked through abandoned farmland in New Jersey in the late…
Christian Ammer, University of Göttingen, discusses his article: Get out of the starting block quickly—Small initial differences in seed and seedling size affect tree survival and growth over 25 years A race spanning decades—who will win? When seeds fall from old European beech trees during a mast year, several hundred thousand seedlings can sprout across…
Yong-Jiao Zhou, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, discusses their article: Trait networks and the whole-plant economics spectrum: Uncovering key determinants of growth rate across 33 temperate tree species Why do some trees grow fast, while others always seem to lag behind? For decades, ecologists have strived to answer this question. Past research…
Xinmin Lu, Huazhong Agricultural University, Joshua Lynn, Manchester University, and Evan Siemann, Rice University, discuss their article: Latitudinal patterns in growth and defense against multiple enemies of an invasive species and its native congener Why are some plant species more successful invaders than others? A long-standing hypothesis is that invasive plants differ from native species…
Lauren Jenkins, Duke University, discusses her article: Fecundity and terrain-climate interactions that shape tree niche differences across North America and Europe Terrain shapes tree reproduction When you think about climate change threatening forests, you may picture species migrating miles northward or upslope. But what if refuge is just around the hillside? In forests of the…
Heng Ge, Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, discusses her article: Autumn nutrient resorption and twig storage shape spring phenology in woody species When we think about spring phenology, we usually notice the visible signs first: buds swelling, leaves unfolding, and flowers opening. Spring phenology is often discussed as a response to…
Curtis Lubbe, Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, discusses their article: Trade-offs and bet-hedging in clonal offspring allocation What about clones? Most angiosperms reproduce clonally in addition to the production of seeds. That is, they form new units of their bodies (rooting units, or ramets): vegetative clonal reproduction, using rhizomes (horizontal belowground stems)…
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