Behind the paper

Rafael Cabral Borges | Bee community assembly is regulated by functional traits in pristine tropical forest environments

In this ‘Behind the paper’ blog post, author Rafael Cabral Borges – a postdoctoral fellow at the Vale Institute of Technology in Belém, Brazil – discusses his paper “Bee community assembly is regulated by functional traits in pristine tropical forest environments“. Rafael explores whether bee communities organise themselves differently in forests and in canga areas, conducting fieldwork in the Amazon, and his passion for bee … Continue reading Rafael Cabral Borges | Bee community assembly is regulated by functional traits in pristine tropical forest environments

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper, Translation

Rafael Cabral Borges | Por trás do jornal

Sobre o artigo A Amazônia está sob crescente pressão das atividades humanas. Ao mesmo tempo, grandes esforços estão em curso para conservar o que ainda resta e restaurar o que já foi degradado. No entanto, manejar um ecossistema tão vasto, complexo e extraordinariamente diverso como a Amazônia exige mais do que boas intenções: exige um entendimento profundo de como o ecossistema está estruturado e como … Continue reading Rafael Cabral Borges | Por trás do jornal

Unknown's avatarFunctional Ecology1 Comment
Behind the paper

Erliang Gao | Nitrogen enrichment in soil interrupts the ‘rhythms’ of plan-pollinator interactions in Tibetan alpine meadows

In our latest ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Erliang Gao shares insights into the article “Anthropogenic nitrogen addition interrupts seasonal connectivity and structures of plant–pollinator networks“, which was published in Functional Ecology in April 2026. Erliang Gao discusses the impacts of anthropogenic nitrogen enrichment on plant-pollinator networks, the joys of conducting curiosity-driven research, and the importance of establishing a work-life balance. About the paper … Continue reading Erliang Gao | Nitrogen enrichment in soil interrupts the ‘rhythms’ of plan-pollinator interactions in Tibetan alpine meadows

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Sofia Etzold | The slow fade of forest vitality — What decades of monitoring reveal 

In this blog post, author Sofia Etzold – a researcher at the Swiss Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape – discusses the research article Decreasing water availability reduces productivity in Swiss forests along an altitudinal gradient, which was recently published in Functional Ecology. Sofia explores whether emerging trends in forest productivity can already be linked to climatic changes, and shares the challenges of … Continue reading Sofia Etzold | The slow fade of forest vitality — What decades of monitoring reveal 

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Andrés F. Ramírez-Mejía | The commonness of rarity: why there are so many rare species

In this week’s blog post, we’re discovering how common it is to be rare! Through his paper: “Functional divergence drives the prevalence of low-abundance species in bat assemblages”, author Andrés F. Ramírez-Mejía explores the commonness of rarity: why there are so many rare species and explains why every bat has a role in our ecosystem. In his blog, Andrés explores the complexities of morphological uniqueness … Continue reading Andrés F. Ramírez-Mejía | The commonness of rarity: why there are so many rare species

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Caitlin Terry | Forest type and leaf habit mediate thermal and drought tolerance across a tropical elevational gradient

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, we’re dealing with drought! Author Caitlin Terry – a PhD student at Cornell University – delves into their research article “Forest type and leaf habit mediate thermal and drought tolerance across a tropical elevational gradient“. Caitlin discusses drought and thermal tolerances in tropical tree species, freezing leaf samples in a bedroom transformed into a lab, and their love … Continue reading Caitlin Terry | Forest type and leaf habit mediate thermal and drought tolerance across a tropical elevational gradient

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Jiří Šubrt | When symbiosis breaks apart – Lichen bleaching in the High Arctic

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, we’re taking a trip to Svalbard with author Jiří Šubrt to investigate lichen bleaching! Jiří – a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh – shares insights into the paper ‘Lichen bleaching as a response to long-term experimental warming in the High Arctic‘, which was recently published in Functional Ecology. Jiří discusses lichen bleaching on Svalbard as a … Continue reading Jiří Šubrt | When symbiosis breaks apart – Lichen bleaching in the High Arctic

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
cover stories, Uncategorized

Cover Stories: Suzana Alcantara

In this week’s blog post, Dr. Suzana Alcantara – a researcher at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil – discusses the story behind the cover of Volume 29, Issue 12. Suzana is an evolutionary biologist interested in morphological evolution, plant diversification, and biogeography.  She is particularly interested in understanding the processes that contribute to the immense diversity of plant species in the Neotropical mountains, at macro- … Continue reading Cover Stories: Suzana Alcantara

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Upama Aich | Salty ups and downs: fluctuating salinity affects egg and ejaculate investments

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Upama Aich – a Forrest Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia – discusses her paper “Developmental environment and age shape macronutrient allocation to eggs and ejaculates“, which was published in Functional Ecology in February 2026. Upama shares how fluctuating salinity can leave lasting reproductive signatures in mosquitofish, the challenges of conducting biochemical assays with tiny sample volumes, and … Continue reading Upama Aich | Salty ups and downs: fluctuating salinity affects egg and ejaculate investments

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Rosalee Elting | How low can they go? How hummingbirds cope with dilute nectars

Can hummingbirds eat more than half their body weight per hour? In this week’s blog post, author Rosalee Elting answers that question for us! Based on their recent paper: “Foraging plasticity and physiological adaptations enable hummingbirds to subsist on dilute nectars”, Rosalee shares some of the fascinating results regarding energy expenditure in hungry hummingbirds. Outside of her captivating love for our little energy filled birds, … Continue reading Rosalee Elting | How low can they go? How hummingbirds cope with dilute nectars

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment