Behind the paper

Nick Gulotta | To stay or to roam? Behavioural type influences trade-offs in male wild turkey survival

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Nick Gulotta – a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Georgia, USA – helps us get “familiar” with turkey behaviour! Discussing the article “To stay or to roam? Behavioural type influences trade-offs in male wild turkey survival“, Nick delves into how the benefits of familiarity for turkeys depend on the threats they face, the process of tagging … Continue reading Nick Gulotta | To stay or to roam? Behavioural type influences trade-offs in male wild turkey survival

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Behind the paper

Grace Hirzel | Up to their eyes: seasonal changes in vision, behaviour, and wing colour in a temperate butterfly

In this week’s blog post, we’re gearing up for a shift in seasons with author Grace Hirzel as we explore the behavioural changes in a temperate butterfly. Based on their paper: “Synchronous seasonal plasticity in colouration, behaviour, and visual gene expression in a wild butterfly population”, Grace shares with us how seasonal conditions impact behaviour and how animals perceive their environment. Through the use of … Continue reading Grace Hirzel | Up to their eyes: seasonal changes in vision, behaviour, and wing colour in a temperate butterfly

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Behind the paper

Anina Coetzee | Colourful defenses against bees

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Anina Coetzee – a lecturer at Nelson Mandela University, George campus, South Africa – shares the ‘buzz’ about bee avoidance in bird-pollinated flowers! Discussing the research article ‘Is bee-avoidance by bird-pollinated flowers driven by nectar robbing in Erica?‘, Anina delves into the bee-avoidance hypothesis, the beauty of Erica as a study species, and where sci-fi books and … Continue reading Anina Coetzee | Colourful defenses against bees

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Behind the paper

Pooja Radhakrishnan | Game over: Conflict resolution through strategic growth in an invertebrate

In this week’s blog post, we’re climbing the ranks to understand strategic growth in invertebrates! Discussing their paper: “Game over: Conflict resolution through strategic growth in an invertebrate”, author Pooja Radhakrishnan reveals how a marine annelid worm establishes a size hierarchy to compete against individuals they interact with. Pooja helps us understand how social competition can drive the evolution of adaptive mechanisms such as strategic … Continue reading Pooja Radhakrishnan | Game over: Conflict resolution through strategic growth in an invertebrate

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Journal content, Meet the Editor

Meet the (Senior) Editor: Sandra Varga

In this blog post, we hear from our newest Senior Editor, Sandra Varga! Sandra – an Associate Professor at the University of Lincoln, UK – is an evolutionary ecologist interested in understanding how plants interact with their environment. She is particularly fascinated by how plants and soil microbes interact, especially arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. What’s the best thing about your particular area of research? The best … Continue reading Meet the (Senior) Editor: Sandra Varga

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Behind the paper, Uncategorized

Soumen Mallick | No one-size-fits-all forest management: what elevation reveals about herbivory and plant stress 

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Soumen Mallick – a Postdoctoral researcher at Field Station Fabrikschleichach, University of Würzburg – discusses the paper “Elevation reverses the effects of forest structure on folivory and leaf asymmetry“, which was recently published in Functional Ecology. Soumen shares how the team conducted large-scale forest experiments across Germany, the influence of climate on the impacts forest management actions, and the importance … Continue reading Soumen Mallick | No one-size-fits-all forest management: what elevation reveals about herbivory and plant stress 

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Uncategorized

Elizabeth Telford | What 10,000 Nodules Taught Me About Savanna Trees…. and Myself 

In this Behind the Paper blog post, author Elizabeth Telford – a postdoc at the the University of Sheffield – explores her research article N2 fixation is linked to the ability to encroach in African savanna trees. Elizabeth discusses the role of nitrogen fixation in how some trees respond to rising CO₂, how this research supported her get back into research, and her advice to … Continue reading Elizabeth Telford | What 10,000 Nodules Taught Me About Savanna Trees…. and Myself 

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Behind the paper

Manuel López-Aliste | Differential effects of agricultural expansion on wild bee taxonomic and functional diversity

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Manuel López-Aliste discusses the paper “Differential effects of agricultural expansion on wild bee taxonomic and functional diversity“, which was recently published in Functional Ecology. Manuel discusses how agricultural expansion affects the variety of bee traits, using an entomological collection to measure functional traits, and the importance of trusting the process. About the paper Our paper focuses on … Continue reading Manuel López-Aliste | Differential effects of agricultural expansion on wild bee taxonomic and functional diversity

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haldane prize

Haldane Prize 2025 | Xiaojing Zhang: Mycelium biomass and community composition impact nutrient concentration in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at fine spatial scale

2025 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: Xiaojing Zhang discusses her paper “Mycelium biomass and community composition impact nutrient concentration in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at fine spatial scale“, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2025 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper Although AM fungi mediate nutrient exchange between plants and soil, how their own nutrient traits respond to fine scale variability remains unclear. Our … Continue reading Haldane Prize 2025 | Xiaojing Zhang: Mycelium biomass and community composition impact nutrient concentration in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at fine spatial scale

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haldane prize

Haldane Prize 2025 | Alon Rapaport: Rapid and chemically diverse C transfer from trees to mycorrhizal fruit bodies in the forest

2025 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: Alon Rapaport discusses his paper “Rapid and chemically diverse C transfer from trees to mycorrhizal fruit bodies in the forest“, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2025 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper Our research explores the transfer of carbon (C) from trees to ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) in forest ecosystems. Specifically, we aimed to identify the chemical forms … Continue reading Haldane Prize 2025 | Alon Rapaport: Rapid and chemically diverse C transfer from trees to mycorrhizal fruit bodies in the forest

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