Editor’s Choice (112:09): How do yellow-necked mice & common oaks navigate a dynamic mutualism?

The editor’s choice for our September issue is ‘Scatterhoarder abundance and advantages of seed burial drive dynamics of a tree–rodent interaction‘, by Rafał Zwolak et al.: This study examines how density-dependent foraging decisions and abiotic conditions jointly influence mutualistic benefits. The results show that mutualistic interactions between yellow-necked mice and common oaks are highly influenced by mouse abundance…

Bringing habitat patches into the species distribution models world

Federico Riva, Environmental Geography Dept. of the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM),Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, discusses his review article: Incorporating effects of habitat patches into species distribution models Habitat patches are everywhere – forests surrounded by agriculture, pastures within Alpine forests, or green areas in a city. This patchiness of many ecosystem types is key to…

How mycorrhizal associations are growing our understanding of plant-soil feedback across plant communities

Andrew Eagar and Sara Moledor, from Michigan State University’s Department of Plant Biology, discuss their research group’s new review paper: Setting the Stage for Plant-Soil Feedback: Mycorrhizal Influences over Conspecific Recruitment, Plant and Fungal Communities, and Coevolution A holistic view of plant-soil feedback Research over the last 20 years on plant-soil interactions has greatly advanced…

Entangled? How to resolve feedbacks between diversity and productivity in natural systems

Karl Andraczek (@KarlAndraczek), from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, discusses his article: Weak reciprocal relationships between productivity and plant biodiversity in managed grasslands Setting The Scene Global change impacts both plant diversity and ecosystem functioning with detrimental consequences for nature’s contributions to people. Predicting these consequences has emerged as a focal…

Timing of nutrient resorption from senesced leaves: steady-and-slow versus late-and-fast

Yu-Kun Hu, from Lanzhou University, discusses his article: Leaf functional traits predict timing of nutrient resorption and carbon depletion in deciduous subarctic plants Nutrient resorption from senescing leaves is an important way that plants maintain their nutrient balance, meeting more than 1/3 of their total nutrient requirements. Thus, these nutrients are critical for plant growth…

Qun Zhang & Xincheng Li on Genetic Diversity: The Hidden Key to Salt Marsh Restoration

Picture yourself walking along a coastal salt marsh. The squishy mud beneath your feet, the chorus of bird calls, and the distant shimmer of the sea – this seemingly ordinary scene is actually a vibrant ecosystem in action. Salt marshes are more than just scenic wetlands; they’re nature’s multitaskers, providing homes for countless species, shielding…

Editor’s Choice (112:08): Fungi & deadwood diversity: A test of the area-heterogeneity trade-off hypothesis

The editor’s choice for our August issue is ‘Fungi and deadwood diversity: A test of the area-heterogeneity trade-off hypothesis‘, by Max Zibold et al.: Environmental heterogeneity is one of the most fundamental drivers of species diversity. For decades, ecologists have suggested that heterogeneity–diversity relationships are generally positive. But today, a greater variety of heterogeneity–diversity relationships is discussed. In…

Why it makes sense for trees to reproduce in synchrony

Mario B. Pesendorfer, Institute of Forest Ecology, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, BOKU – University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria, discusses his article: Positive spatial and temporal density-dependence drive early reproductive economy-of-scale effects of masting in a European old-growth forest community In temperate forests, tree populations often produce large bumper crops…

Do Phylogenetic Relationships Influence Priority Effects in Grassland Plants?

Julia Dieskau, from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, discusses her article ‘Phylogenetic relationships and plant life stage but not biogeographic history mediate priority effects of European grassland plants’ Background What factors determine the composition of plant communities? Many scientists have been exploring this question from various perspectives throughout the past century. Despite their efforts, there are…

A mini-review as a true team effort

Karen De Paw, Dries Landuyt and Kris Verheyen talk teamwork at ForNaLab. Approximately one year ago, the Journal of Ecology invited plant ecologists to write mini-reviews on the theme of nature-based solutions. Given our background in forest ecology, this sparked the idea within our research group of coming up with a review that would summarise…