The critical role of plant phenology in the biomass production of alpine plants under climate change

Miaojun Ma, Gansu Gannan Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, discusses his article: Asynchronous phenological responses to warming affect biomass production contrastingly in flowering functional groups Background Plant phenology and productivity changes represent two of the most critical climate-induced changes…

When plants gain (or lose) ground in the French Alps

Romain Goury, University of Grenoble Alpes in France, discusses his article: Recent vegetation shifts in the French Alps with winners outnumbering losers, in both English and French. When we walk through the mountains, it is often easy to notice plants that have not been there before. But spotting those that are quietly disappearing is a…

How does plant diversity recover after invasive species removal?

Shao-peng Li and Bingwei Lv, East China Normal University, discuss their article: Multidimensional diversity recovery following invasive species removal: Roles of colonization, extinction, and abundance shifts. Background Plant invasion is a global ecological challenge, and invasive species often outcompete native plants, leading to a loss of biodiversity and disruption of ecosystem functions. Removing these unwelcome…

How plant bark and wood functional traits shape invertebrate communities after a tree´s death

Hang Ci, East China Normal University, discusses her article: Temporal dynamics of bark and wood functional traits in determining invertebrate communities during coarse and fine woody debris decomposition When a tree falls in the forest, its death marks a vibrant new beginning. Deadwood is not merely lifeless debris; it becomes a bustling source of food…

Flowers, pollinators, and the shifting rules of attraction

Julissa Roja-Sandoval, University of Connecticut, discusses her article: Plant-pollinator interactions in a tropical dry forest: Spatiotemporal shifts in floral trait importance When we think about flowers and pollinators, it’s easy to imagine a perfect match: hummingbirds visiting red tubular flowers, bees buzzing around open yellow blooms, or butterflies sipping nectar from flowers with long tubes.…

How Leaf Traits Help Us Understand the Future of Grasslands

Kuo Sun and Zhenzhu Xu, Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, discuss their article: Global coordination and trade-off of grassland species traits and climatic drivers Grasslands stretch across vast parts of the world — from the wide prairies of North America to Africa’s savannas and the steppes of Asia. These landscapes are…

Functional traits are important predictors of tree growth but their effects vary with age and leaf habit.

Mégane Déziel, Université du Québec à Montréal, discusses her article: Resolving the Effects of Functional Traits on Tree Growth Rates: The Influence of Temporal Dynamics and Divergent Strategies by Leaf Habit Functional ecology has long assumed that variation in tree growth reflects differences in functional traits, which serve as proxies for resource acquisition and investment…

How Plants Play the Game of Survival

Ruiling Liu and Wenyong Guo, East China Normal University, discuss their article: Grime’s CSR theory revisited: A whole-plant view of vascular plant functioning across contrasting environments You might think plants are quiet and slow, but their lives are full of strategy. Some race ahead, dominating fertile fields, while others hang on stubbornly in rocky cliffs…

Looking up and down: How forest layers work together to keep ecosystems functioning

Jie Li, Beijing Forestry University in China, discusses their article: Cross-scale effects of multi-strata plant diversity on ecosystem multifunctionality in temperate forests What makes a forest thrive? While we often admire towering trees in a forest, what happens under their shade—the herbs, ferns, and small plants carpeting the forest floor—can be just as important. In…

Nectar sugar concentration matters in shaping bee-flower interactions

Chun-Feng Yang, Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, discusses their article: Nectar sugar concentration contributes to structuring bumble bee and plant interactions Why do flowers vary their nectar sugar concentrations? Producing nectar entails significant energetic costs for plants, with investment strongly correlated to sugar concentration. It is therefore believed that interspecific variation…