How Does Drought Reshape Nitrogen Cycling in Subtropical Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forests? Insights from Zhejiang Tiantong Station

Songbo Tang, Jianyang Xia, and Liming Yan, East China Normal University, discusses their article: Long-term drought triggers contrasting responses of foliar stable nitrogen isotopes and soil available nitrogen in a subtropical forest Introduction: The Hidden Link Between Drought and Nitrogen Dynamics As climate change intensifies, drought events increasingly threaten the functionality of global forest ecosystems.…

Longer growing seasons don’t mean more growth: How seasonal climates shape tree wood growth in the southern Altai Mountains

Wenjin Wang, Zhejiang University in China, discusses their article: Seasonal climate variations drive decoupling between the duration and amount of xylem growth along a hydrothermal gradient in the southern Altai Mountains Climate change is transforming forests across the world. A key question many ecologists and forest managers are asking is: will warmer temperatures lead to…

How Do Dry Conditions Affect Carbon Movement in Bamboo Forests?

Xiaogai Ge, from the Research Institute of Subtropical Forestry of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, and Mai-He Li, from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research in Switzerland, discuss their article: Drought Decreases Carbon Flux but Not Transport Speed of Newly Fixed Carbon from Leaves to Sinks in a Giant Bamboo Forest…

Shaded habitats drive higher rates of fern diversification

Guilin Wu, Hainan Jianfengling Forest Ecosystem National Field Science Observation and Research Station, Research Institute of Tropical Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, discusses his article: Shaded habitats drive higher rates of fern diversification Ferns represent one of the three major lineages of vascular plants, having originated approximately 411–385 million years ago. In prehistoric times, they…

Woody plant encroachment in forest-grassland mosaics: How do woody plant functional traits change above and below-ground?

Raissa Jardim, Federal University of Paraná, Brazil, describes her article: Unveiling above- and below-ground ecological strategies that underlie woody plant encroachment in grasslands, in both English and Portuguese. Woody plant encroachment in forest-grassland mosaics Forests and grasslands aren’t always neatly separated ecosystems. In many places they coexist side by side, creating beautiful but complex mosaics…

Wood trait-decay relationships depend on environmental context

Donghao Wu, School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-Sen University, discusses his article: Wood trait-decay relationships vary with topography and rainfall seasonality in a subtropical forest in China Wood trait-decay relationship Deadwood stores 8% of global forest carbon, and thus it is important to understand the dominant drivers of wood decomposition rates. Many physical…

Fire and Flora: Community-Level Adaptations in Mediterranean Landscapes

Bérangère Leys, UMR AMAP (Montpellier, France), discusses her article: Functional responses of Mediterranean flora to fire: A community-scale perspective As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of fires, especially in Mediterranean regions, understanding plant adaptations to fire has become crucial. Fires are a natural component of Mediterranean ecosystems; however, hotter, drier conditions and human activities are making fires more intense, underscoring the…

Nectar Harmonies: a long-term analysis of European forest herb layers

Wim De Schuyter, Pieter De Frenne, Emiel De Lombaerde, Leen Depauw, Pallieter De Smedt, Lander Baeten, Kris Verheyen explore declining potential nectar production in this post and also at: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1365-2745.14274 Springtime is upon us and soon new generations of insects will emerge and buzz around in our landscapes. In search for food, and later on…

Dr Xoaquin Moreira talks species interactions in natural or agro-forestry systems

This work came up on a solid and long-lasting collaboration between four institutions (from Spain, Mexico, Netherlands and Switzerland). This collaboration focussed, to a large extent, on investigating the ecological drivers and consequences of species interactions in natural or agro-forestry systems. Our research has focused on understanding the role of “bottom-up” factors (e.g., variation in…