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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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