Tropical Forest Species Coexistence and Surprisingly Simple Models

Douglas Sheil, Forest Ecology and Forest Management Chair Group, Wageningen University and Research, The Netherlands, discusses his article: A simple competition model can predict rainforest tree diversity, species abundance and ecosystem functions Many tropical forests are remarkably diverse, often supporting hundreds of tree species in just a few hectares. But how can so many species…

Why trait-based ecology is full of surprises

Noémie Pichon discusses her recent article: ‘Intraspecific trait changes have large impacts on community functional composition but do not affect ecosystem function‘. Find out more about this new research into intraspecific trait variation and its importance for understanding community functional composition. Trait variation is as large within as between species, but it doesn’t mean the…

In late-successional forest communities, how much does history matter?

Author Kerry Woods discusses recently published Journal of Ecology article: Over 80 years without major disturbance, late‐successional Białowieża woodlands exhibit complex dynamism, with coherent compositional shifts towards true old‐growth conditions by Brzeziecki et al. Find out more about the importance of long-term data when considering old-growth forest dynamics. Thirty years ago, John Magnuson wrote of the…

Cover Story and Editor’s Choice: Volume 108 Issue 2

The cover image for Journal of Ecology’s latest issue was taken by Philippe Cohen. This photo relates to research article: Fire history and plant community composition outweigh decadal multi‐factor global change as drivers of microbial composition in an annual grassland by Qin, Zhu, Chiariello, Field & Peay. This article was also selected as the Editor’s Choice paper for…