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…

Editor’s Choice (112:07): The effects of microplastic pollution on plant growth

The editor’s choice for our July issue is ‘The more microplastic types pollute the soil, the stronger the growth suppression of invasive alien and native plants‘, by Yanmei Fu et al.: The ecological consequences of microplastic pollution for plants remain largely unknown, and the few studies that have tested the effects usually focused on a single type…

How extinct megafrugivores shaped Malagasy palm genetics through seed dispersal

Plants, as sessile organisms, depend on seed dispersal as a crucial mechanism for colonizing new areas. This has driven the evolution of various dispersal strategies in plants, including the development of ‘megafruits’—fruits typically larger than 4 cm containing up to 5 large seeds. Megafruits are thought to have evolved primarily for dispersal by megafauna, the…

🌈Pride Month 2024: Jill Love

Happy Pride Month! Join the British Ecological Society in this annual, global celebration as we share stories from STEM researchers who belong to the LGBTQ+ community. In this post, Jill Love (she/her), PhD candidate at Tulane University of New Orleans, shares her perspectives as a field researcher on why Pride in National Parks is more…

Unraveling the Complex Interactions in Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystems

Eric Duell, from the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research, discusses his article: ‘Mycorrhizal-herbivore interactions and the competitive release of subdominant tallgrass prairie species‘ Tallgrass prairies of central and eastern North America are characterized by diverse plant communities consisting of grasses and forbs (often called wildflowers or broadleaves) which possess a variety of…

Fofos e Ecologicamente Relevantes! Pedro Hoffmann, Andy Green and Leonardo Maltchik on how cute rodents can be ecologically relevant

O Papel de Capivaras e ratões-do-banhado em Áreas Úmidas / The Role of Capybaras and Nutrias in Wetlands Capivaras na área de estudo / Capybaras at the study site (Foto: Pedro Hoffmann) Roedores como pequenos camundongos, esquilos e porquinhos-da-índia, são mundialmente conhecidos por sua aparência amigável e fofa. Assim como os maiores roedores do mundo…

Jaime Moyano on the negative impacts of planting trees in treeless ecosystems to mitigate climate change

Climate change is one of the most important challenges of our time. Although reducing energy use and limiting the emission of greenhouse gases are the most effective solutions, this may not be feasible in many countries yet. On the other hand, replacing naturally treeless ecosystems (such as grasslands, shrublands and wetlands) with tree plantations (afforestation)…

The Biological Flora champions Sea Campions

Biological Flora author (and editor) Anthony Davy introduces a fascinating coastal species that offers many more ecological insights than one might imagine. This account of the Sea Campion (Silene uniflora) is the latest contribution to the long-running Biological Flora of Britain and Ireland series. The article itself has a long history: unusually, the authors include…

Always put eggs in two baskets? The “wisdom” of a seed-dimorphic aster to cope with environmental uncertainty.

Huixuan Liao and Qian Gan, Sun Yat-sen University School of Life Sciences, discuss their article: ‘Spatiotemporal interaction of risk-spreading strategies for a seed-dimorphic plant’ Background Maternal modification of offspring stress tolerance is a ubiquitous phenomenon in plant and animal kingdoms that affects population persistence and growth. When looking into this phenomenon, one can’t help but…