Ecologists and evolutionary biologists for many decades happily coexisted largely ignoring each other. This separation was clearest in theory where ecological models assumed fixed, constant parameters, so evolution could not occur, and population genetics models assumed fixed selection coefficients which summarised all underlying ecological process that influence fitness. To an extent this reflected the obvious…
The latest issue of Journal of Ecology (105:4) includes a Special Feature reviewing how plant ecological research can contribute to Global Food Security. Below, Senior Editors, David Gibson and Richard Bardgett tell us more about their Special Feature. A burgeoning human population coupled with ongoing climate change is precipitating a global food security crisis. By…
Nutrient-poor grasslands cover a substantial portion of the terrestrial surface and provide important ecosystem services ranging from forage and livestock production to stabilization of erosion-prone soils. The future of these grasslands under increased drought frequency and severity is difficult to predict, especially given the complex ecological interactions and feedbacks among plants, other organisms, and physical…
Volume 105 Issue 4 of Journal of Ecology is now online! The July 2017 issue of Journal of Ecology includes a special feature titled; Ecological solutions to global food security. Edited by David Gibson and Richard Bardgett, this special feature considers the ways that plant ecologists can help meet the challenges of food production and…
Public University of Navarre press release: Mixed Scots pine and beech forests can grow more as they complement each other in the use of resources, unless rainfall is low In an article published in Journal of Ecology, researchers from the NUP/UPNA-Public University of Navarre and the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) have analysed the two…
Journal of Ecology Associate Editors Jane Catford and Rob Salguero-Gómez were both keynote speakers at this year’s PopBio conference. Here is their report… A few weeks ago, we had the privilege of attending PopBio2017 in Halle, Germany. This was the 30th annual conference of the Plant Population Biology Section of the Ecological Society of Germany, Austria…
Press release from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Woody vines, known as lianas, compete intensely with trees and their numbers are on the rise in many tropical forests around the world. A new study, published in Journal of Ecology, from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama shows that lianas prevent canopy trees from…
Here at the BES publishing team we’re looking forward to next month’s symposium entitled The Macroecology of Alien Species: Patterns, Drivers and Consequences of Global Biotic Exchange, where Journal of Ecology, Journal of Animal Ecology and Journal of Applied Ecology will be sponsoring a drinks reception. The symposium will be held in the lovely and…
In this new podcast video, Katherine Giljohann presents the findings of her recent study, accepted for publication in Journal of Ecology, and titled “Interactions between rainfall, fire and herbivory drive resprouter vital rates in a semi-arid ecosystem“. This study was part of Katherine’s PhD project which looked at optimal management planning for biodiversity conservation in disturbance-prone environments. The video…
State University of New York at Geneseo Press Release A new study published in Journal of Ecology examines the spread of mistletoe – a parasitic plant – and finds that the plant’s success is determined not only by its compatibility with a host tree but also whether or not the plants’ fruiting seasons overlap. Knowing…
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