Adam Weiler, Indiana University, discusses his article: Seeing the forest for all the trees: Mycorrhizal-associated nutrient economies are modulated by stem density and the synchrony between overstorey and understorey tree communities When we think about how forests influence the soil beneath them, it’s easy to picture the towering overstorey trees that define a woodland. These…
Olivia Vought, University of Michigan, discusses her article: Earlier snowmelt increases the strength of the carbon sink in montane meadows unequally across the growing season In cold, mountain regions, the climate is warming, causing snow to melt earlier. In fact, winters are changing faster than the warmer seasons in many seasonally cold places. However, how…
Juntao Zhu, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, discusses his article: Loss of resource-conservative species affects plant phylogenetic and functional structure under long-term snow addition The alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau are unique ecosystems shaped by a harsh climate and traditional yak grazing. But as the…
Barbara Meyers, University of Freiburg in Germany, discusses her article: Soil nutrient availability rather than spatial nutrient heterogeneity shapes the intraspecific response of root architectural, morphological and mycorrhizal traits in Vaccinium myrtillus Roots make up for a large proportion of plant biomass and play a central role in several plant functions: accessing water and nutrients…
Jenna Braun, York University, Toronto, discusses her article: Experimental resource supplementation shifts ant-mediated defense on silver cholla Extra-floral nectaries (EFN) play an important role within mutualisms between plants and ants. In this relationship, ants receive a nutrient-rich food source from plants in exchange for defending the plant from herbivores. Ant species are not equally effective…
Yong-Deng He and Zhong-Ming Ye, Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, discuss their article: Disentangling the mechanisms behind indirect interactions between plants via shared pollinators: Effects of neutral and niche-based processes In biodiversity hotspots like the alpine meadows of north-western Yunnan, more than 100 flowering species can bloom in a single season.…
Ranjan Muthukrishnan, St. Olaf College in the USA, discusses his article: Warming conditions reduce the impacts of an aquatic invasive macrophyte across a latitudinal gradient The challenge Climate change and the spread of invasive species are two major drivers of global ecological change. As with many ecological stressors, an important question is: what is the…
Rongxu Shan and Zilong Ma from Sun Yat-sen University, and Han Y.H. Chen from Lakehead University discuss their article: Functional traits and individual tree growth relationship weakens with stand development but strengthens with increasing temperature. Forests are far more than just collections of trees: they are vibrant, dynamic ecosystems where each tree’s growth strategy plays…
Toyo Vignal, Okinawan Institute of Science and Technology in Japan, discusses her article: Surviving the winds through pattern formation: Mathematical modelling of heather stripes in Scotland. In some remote areas of the Scottish highlands, one can encounter intriguing vegetation patterns consisting of regularly arranged plants and bare soil. The first time I encountered such patterns…
Fia Bengtsson, Lund University and Norwegian Institute of Nature Research, discusses her article: Rapid shifts in bryophyte phenology revealed by airborne eDNA Most of us walk past mosses and liverworts without really noticing them. But these small plants, known as bryophytes, are vital to ecosystems, including in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. They retain water, regulate…
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