How rhizomes shape whole-plant ontogeny and growth

Jana Martínková (ExFuMo1), Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, discusses her article: The hidden half of ontogeny and seasonal dynamics in perennial herbs While flowers and leaves capture our attention, the unseen world beneath the soil is just as vital to plant survival and ecological balance. This truth applies not only to…

The rhizosphere: A hub for enhancing soil carbon storage

Qitong Wang and Huajun Yin, Chengdu Institute of Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, discuss their article: Rhizosphere as a hotspot for microbial necromass deposition into the soil carbon pool When it comes to soil organic carbon (SOC) storage, the rhizosphere – a zone of soil around plant roots – plays a pivotal yet…

Editor’s Choice: Volume 108 Issue 3

The Editor’s Choice article for Journal of Ecology’s latest issue Volume 108 Issue 3 is “Seagrass ecosystem metabolic carbon capture in response to green turtle grazing across Caribbean meadows” by Johnson et al. Associate Editor Randall Hughes explores this paper in more detail and explains what makes this paper so novel and valuable. Vegetated marine ecosystems such…