Understanding fine root decomposition in the context of the root economics space (RES)

Saheed Olaide Jimoh (@sahjim05), University of Wyoming, discusses his article: Traits associated with the conservation gradient are the strongest predictors of early-stage fine root decomposition rates Background Fine root decomposition is a process that converts dead plant materials into their component elements, supporting nutrient cycling, regulating carbon storage, and sustaining organic matter pools in ecosystems.…

Cover stories (112:10): Using machine learning to link climate, phylogeny & leaf area

The cover image for our October issue shows the first part of an automated process to extract leaf area from herbarium images. Here the model’s predictions of leaves are on the pressed plant specimen of Corymbia gilbertensis. The image relates to the Editor’s Choice article ‘Using machine learning to link climate, phylogeny and leaf area in eucalypts through…

Can tree species diversity make our forest more resilient to climate change?

Eugénie Mas, from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (@MasPlantphys) discusses her article: Drought effects in Mediterranean forests are not alleviated by diversity-driven water source partitioning Forest are unique ecosystems where each species of animal, plant, and microorganism interact together to provide many services, called ecosystem services. These services can benefit humans directly through wood production,…

Seagrass-oyster facilitation at risk under future ocean conditions

Fiona Ralph, from Bowdoin College, discusses her article: Shifting seagrass-oyster interactions alter species response to ocean warming and acidification The Why: Eelgrass and oysters are ecosystem building species that both have economic, ecological, and cultural importance in Maine. Eelgrass populates much of the soft-sediment coastal subtidal in the Northern Hemisphere, which is also where most of…

Do mutualist limitations hinder ectomycorrhizal tree seedling establishment in North American secondary forests?

Andrew Cortese, from Michigan State University, discusses his article: Ectomycorrhizal tree islands in arbuscular mycorrhizal forests: hotspots of fungal inoculum important for seedling establishment of historically dominant trees Present-day forests echo past disturbance history Northeastern North American forests are comprised of a mixture of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) and ectomycorrhizal (EM) trees. However, by the turn…

Exploring How Mycorrhiza Affect Strawberry Offspring: A Look at Sexual vs. Clonal Reproduction

Vít Latzel (@LatzelV; @IBOTCZ; @popecolIBOT), Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, discusses his article: Transgenerational effects of mycorrhiza are stronger in sexual than in clonal offspring of Fragaria vesca and are partly adaptive BackgroundPlants have a great capacity to adjust their phenotypes to the environment—not just during their own lifetimes, but also…

Are large grazers a boon or bane for temperate salt marshes? Exploring context-dependency in the top-down trophic interactions of charismatic megafauna

Sean J Sharp (@seancologie, Linkedin), from University of Maryland, discusses his article: Large grazers suppress a foundational plant and reduce soil carbon concentration in eastern US saltmarshes Grazing has been a common practice in temperate salt marshes for millennia. In European saltmarshes, the grazing activity of large animals like sheep and cows can boost plant…