Qiong Chen and Zuoqiang Yuan, Northwestern Polytechnical University in China, discuss their article: Global mycorrhizal status drives leaf δ15N patterns Nitrogen: A Vital Nutrient for Plants Nitrogen is a crucial nutrient for plants. It plays a vital role in their growth, development, and overall productivity. The availability of nitrogen is a key factor in understanding…
Fernando Lima, CIBIO/BIOPOLIS, University of Porto, Portugal, discusses his article: Simulated intertidal heat stress on the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum demonstrates differential population sensitivity to future climate Climate change is often thought to threaten only vulnerable species, but what about the tough ones? New research on a resilient seaweed suggests that even the hardiest species…
Guan-Wen Wei and Mark van Kleunen, from the Ecology Lab at the University of Konstanz in Germany, discuss their article: Responses of naturalized alien plants to soil heterogeneity and competition vary with the global naturalization success of the native competitors Biological invasions are happening With the development of transportation and globalization, species have been introduced…
Anaïs Gorel, University of Liège, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech in Belgium, discusses their article: Leaf habit, maximum height, and wood density of tropical woody flora in Africa: phylogenetic constraints, covariation, and responses to seasonal drought How do African trees cope with drought? Tropical Africa is home to a remarkable diversity of trees, ranging from towering giants in…
Riccardo Ciarle, Victoria University of Wellington in Aotearoa New Zealand, discusses his article: Ancestral state reconstruction sheds new light on the loss of divarication hypothesis on New Zealand’s outlying islands The background If you step into the New Zealand bush, the first thing you’ll see will be towering podocarps, lofty tree ferns, and a wide…
Guilin Wu, Hainan Jianfengling Forest Ecosystem National Field Science Observation and Research Station, Research Institute of Tropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, discusses his article: Shaded habitats drive higher rates of fern diversification Ferns represent one of the three major lineages of vascular plants, having originated approximately 411–385 million years ago. In prehistoric times, they…
Ramona Heim, Institute of Landscape Ecology of the University of Münster in Germany, discusses her article: Arctic tundra ecosystems under fire – Alternative ecosystem states in a changing climate? Fire events in the tundra are becoming increasingly frequent, garnering more media attention. These fires strongly reshape the landscape; however, our understanding of tundra vegetation recovery…
Lily Dun, Western Sydney University in New South Wales, Australia, and The University of Queensland in Queensland, Australia, discusses her article: Do trait-growth relationships vary with plant age in fire-prone heathland shrubs? When we think about plant growth, we often assume that certain functional traits—such as wood density, leaf structure, or biomass allocation—determine how fast…
Kechang Niu, Nanjing University in China, discusses his article: Plant species loss reduces rare soil microbes through diversity effects amplified by multitrophic interactions Background A key reason for the flourishing of life on Earth is that diverse groups of organisms mutually thrive in changing environments. However, increasing evidence shows that we are suffering the sixth…
We’re delighted to announce that the winner of the 2024 Harper Prize is Karina Guo! The Harper Prize is awarded annually for the best paper published in the journal by an early career researcher. ‘Using machine learning to link climate, phylogeny and leaf area in eucalypts through a 50-fold expansion of leaf trait datasets’ Karina Guo, William K. Cornwell, Jason…
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