Do Phylogenetic Relationships Influence Priority Effects in Grassland Plants?

Julia Dieskau, from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, discusses her article ‘Phylogenetic relationships and plant life stage but not biogeographic history mediate priority effects of European grassland plants’ Background What factors determine the composition of plant communities? Many scientists have been exploring this question from various perspectives throughout the past century. Despite their efforts, there are…

Mismatched responses of plant and microbial biodiversity to climate warming and anthropogenic activities in the Third Pole

Biodiversity supports the foundation for ecosystem functions and services. Extensive research has shown that global changes have significantly impacted above-ground biodiversity and its associated ecosystem functions and services. However, below-ground soil microbial biodiversity has received relatively less attention, leading to significant knowledge gaps. It remains uncertain whether below-ground biodiversity responds to global changes in a…

Editor’s Choice: Volume 109 Issue 7

The Editor’s Choice for our July issue is “Plant diversity effects on plant longevity and their relationships to population stability in experimental grasslands” by Roeder et al. The findings of this article show that the diversity of a grassland community can directly affect the longevity of the forbs, and thereby the temporal stability of populations…

Atul Joshi – Harper Prize Winner

Throughout the last month, we have been featuring all the articles that were shortlisted for the Harper Prize 2020. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Here we hear more from Atul Joshi, who was jointly awarded this year’s prize alongside Blanca Arroyo-Correa! About me I grew…

Madelon Case – Harper Prize Shortlist

Throughout May, we are featuring all the articles that were shortlisted for the Harper Prize 2020. The Harper Prize is an annual award for the best early career research paper published in Journal of Ecology. Madelon’s article ‘Root‐niche separation between savanna trees and grasses is greater on sandier soils‘ was one of those shortlisted for this year’s award. About…

Editor’s Choice: Volume 109 Issue 5

The Editor’s Choice for our May issue is “Herbivore dung stoichiometry drives competition between savanna trees and grasses” by Judith Sitters & Harry Olde Venterink. This article shows that browsing and grazing herbivores potentially help maintain the tree‐grass balance in African savanna, through variation in the nitrogen (N) to phosphorus (P) ratio of their dung! Here the…

Citizen Science: Follow the steps of Charles Darwin and glimpse into cowslip flowers this Spring!

We’re spotlighting the Looking for Cowslips citizen science campaign! Organiser Tsipe Aavik shares more about this citizen science project, the findings so far and how you can take part in this campaign. If you’re interested in getting involved with a cowslip survey this Spring, you can find out more here! You can also read the…

Editor’s Choice: Volume 109 Issue 2

The Editor’s Choice for our February issue is “Spatial mapping of root systems reveals diverse strategies of soil exploration and resource contest in grassland plants“ by Lepik et al. This article combines fine‐scale measurements of plant root distributions with spatial statistics, yielding new insights into plant behavioural strategies. Here the handling Editor, JC Cahill, provides an overview…