plant physiological ecology

Fire has both positive and negative impacts on surviving trees

Annapurna C. Post-Leon, William R.L. Anderegg This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Warmer temperatures due to climate change are causing forests to dry out faster, which also increases the frequency and severity of wildfires since dry vegetation is more flammable. Both wildfire and drought can similarly disrupt the water-transporting xylem tissue (wood) of the … Continue reading Fire has both positive and negative impacts on surviving trees

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plant-animal interaction

Forest management can help or harm trees depending on elevation

Soumen Mallick, Clara Wild, Adèle Kieffer, Jorge Salvador Torres Pineda, Kerstin Pierick, Julia Rothacher, Orsi Decker, Ludwig Lettenmaier, Oliver Mitesser, Nico Eisenhauer, Akira S Mori, Christian Ammer, Bernhard Schuldt, Jörg Müller This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Forests across Europe have been shaped for centuries by timber production, which has often made them structurally … Continue reading Forest management can help or harm trees depending on elevation

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behavioural ecology

To Stay or to Roam? Behavioral Type Influences Trade-offs in Male Wild Turkey Survival

Nick A. Gulotta, Patrick H. Wightman, Nicholas W. Bakner, Bret A. Collier, Michael J. Chamberlain This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Animals often return to the same areas repeatedly, allowing them to learn where resources are located and how to respond to danger. This familiarity with space is widely thought to improve survival by … Continue reading To Stay or to Roam? Behavioral Type Influences Trade-offs in Male Wild Turkey Survival

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community ecology

Who Eats Who in Urban Soils? Uncovering the Underground Food Web in Woodlands and Grasslands

Haifeng Yao, Zhipeng Li, Saichao Zhang, Shasha Hu, Huayuan Shangguan, Xin Sun, Anton M. Potapov This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Urban development changes more than buildings and roads; it also changes life in the soil. Soil animals—such as mites, springtails, worms, beetles, and spiders—form feeding networks that drive litter decomposition, nutrient recycling, and … Continue reading Who Eats Who in Urban Soils? Uncovering the Underground Food Web in Woodlands and Grasslands

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plant-animal interaction

Hiding in plain sight: Is bee-avoidance by bird-pollinated flowers driven by nectar robbing in Erica?

Anina Coetzee, Colleen L Seymour, Claire N Spottiswoode, Michael D Pirie, Timotheüs van der Niet This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Flowers often produce showy colours to attract their partners (pollinators) but risk also attracting some enemies (nectar robbers). Pollinators transport pollen (carrying the flower’s sperm) between flowers which enables them to make seeds. … Continue reading Hiding in plain sight: Is bee-avoidance by bird-pollinated flowers driven by nectar robbing in Erica?

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animal physiological ecology, Special Features, zoogeochemistry

Seasonal Diet Shifts in Birds Impact Nutrient Cycling

Linsey Chen, Alexander S. Flecker, Ethan S. Duvall This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Animals play an important role in keeping ecosystems healthy—not just by moving around, but by moving nutrients. When birds eat, digest, and excrete waste, they help redistribute important nutrients, such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, to the environment. These nutrients … Continue reading Seasonal Diet Shifts in Birds Impact Nutrient Cycling

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ecosystems ecology

Functionally diverse stands promote leaf litter decomposition irrespective of litter species’ resource acquisition strategy

Bai-Yu Yang, Xiao-Chen Fang, Johannes H. C. Cornelissen, Li-Ting Zheng, Di-Feng Bao, Li Zhang, Zhao Zhao, Ci-Liang Zhao, Hai-Jun Mao, Zai-Ping Yu, Dan-Yan Ou, Marc W. Cadotte, En-Rong Yan This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. The natural breakdown of dead leaves (litter decomposition) makes nutrients available for plant growth. The speed of this important … Continue reading Functionally diverse stands promote leaf litter decomposition irrespective of litter species’ resource acquisition strategy

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ecosystems ecology

Different rice growth stages rely on different carbon and nitrogen conditions for nitrogen fixation

Xinyue Hu, Wei Gao, Xupeng Wang, Yan Li, Jianlin Shen, Xiangbi Chen, Xiaobin Guo, Lianfeng Wang, Yun Niu, Manyun Zhang, Jinshui Wu This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Nitrogen (N) fertilizers are widely used in agriculture to promote crop growth, but it remains unclear how long-term N application affects soil microorganisms that naturally fix … Continue reading Different rice growth stages rely on different carbon and nitrogen conditions for nitrogen fixation

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Commentary, plant-animal interaction

Are crop yields limited by pollinators? Proper assessments using pollinator density require measurements of flower density and yield potential

Stan Chabert, James H. Cane, Bernard E. Vaissière, Rachel E. Mallinger This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. It is generally accepted in studies of animal-pollinated crops that increasing pollinator density per unit area in fields leads to increased crop yields. Two recent studies have revisited this concept, proposing that crop yield increases with pollinator … Continue reading Are crop yields limited by pollinators? Proper assessments using pollinator density require measurements of flower density and yield potential

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community ecology

How mimicry shapes diversity in bumblebee communities

Paola Laiolo, José Ramón Obeso This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Many animals use bright colours as a warning to predators: don’t eat me. In some cases, different dangerous species end up looking alike, sharing the same warning colours. This phenomenon is known as Müllerian mimicry. Scientists have long studied why these colour patterns … Continue reading How mimicry shapes diversity in bumblebee communities

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