Behind the paper

Clea van de Ven: Three travelers discover how plants move during European Survey

In this new post, Clea van de Ven—a PhD candidate at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research—presents her recently published article ‘Establishing cordgrass plants cluster their shoots to avoid ecosystem engineering’. She presents her experience conducting ecological research in European shores, encourages us to dig into salt marshes, and shares the joy behind coincidences in life. On March 1st, 2019, I first entered the … Continue reading Clea van de Ven: Three travelers discover how plants move during European Survey

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haldane prize

2022 Haldane Prize Shortlist: Functional Ecology’s Award for Early Career Researchers

The Haldane Prize is awarded by the British Ecological Society each year for the best paper in Functional Ecology written by an early career author. Last year’s winner was Max Mallen-Cooper for their paper: Tissue chemistry of biocrust species along an aridity gradient and comparison to vascular plant leaves Here is the shortlist for the 2022 Haldane Prize. Alice Walker Indirect control of decomposition by an invertebrate … Continue reading 2022 Haldane Prize Shortlist: Functional Ecology’s Award for Early Career Researchers

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Journal Update

Functional Ecology now requires a ‘Replication Statement’ for all submitted Research Articles

In this new post, Functional Ecology announces that a ‘Replication Statement’ is now mandatory for research articles to be considered for publication. Senior Editor for Functional Ecology, Dustin Marshall, provides some background information on this new requirement and a handful examples to assist authors. Check out our updated Author Guidelines if you are looking to submit a manuscript to Functional Ecology. Rationale Measuring independent replicates … Continue reading Functional Ecology now requires a ‘Replication Statement’ for all submitted Research Articles

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Behind the paper

Liesbeth van den Brink & Rafaella Canessa: Microbial communities prefer high quality food, not specifically the food available “at home”

In this new post, post-doctoral friends Liesbeth van den Brink and Rafaella Canessa from the University of Tübingen, Germany, present their recently published paper “No home-field advantage in litter decomposition from the desert to temperate forest.” They discuss the importance of litter characteristics for decomposition, share their experiences with rodents, and celebrate the joy of working with friends. Una versión en Español de esta publicación … Continue reading Liesbeth van den Brink & Rafaella Canessa: Microbial communities prefer high quality food, not specifically the food available “at home”

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Behind the paper, Translation

Liesbeth van den Brink & Rafaella Canessa: Las comunidades microbianas prefieren alimentos de alta calidad, no necesariamente comida local

En nuestro último post, las amigas y post-docs Liesbeth van den Brink y Rafaella Canessa de la University of Tübingen presentan su trabajo ‘No home-field advantage in litter decomposition from the desert to temperate forest’. En él discuten la importancia de las características de la hojarasca y su descomposición, presentan su ‘experiencia’ con roedores y comparten el placer de trabajar con tus amigos. An English … Continue reading Liesbeth van den Brink & Rafaella Canessa: Las comunidades microbianas prefieren alimentos de alta calidad, no necesariamente comida local

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Behind the paper, Podcast transcripts

Acoustic signature reveals blue whales tune life history transitions to oceanographic conditions: Podcast Transcript

In this podcast for Functional Ecology, Assistant Editor, Frank Harris, sits down with William K. Oestreich—a postdoctoral fellow at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, USA—to discuss his recently published paper ‘Acoustic signature reveals blue whales tune life history transitions to oceanographic conditions’. Will’s paper suggests that blue whales use flexible cues, perhaps including individual sensing of food availability and social information from other individuals (blue … Continue reading Acoustic signature reveals blue whales tune life history transitions to oceanographic conditions: Podcast Transcript

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Behind the paper

Matthew Krna: Decomposition rates of leaf litter are temperature-independent

In this new post, Matt Krna—then a PhD student at Massey University, New Zealand—discusses his recently published paper in Functional Ecology: Temperature dependency of litter decomposition is not demonstrated under reciprocal transplantation of tussock leaves along an altitudinal gradient. This research follows on from his publication on clarifying carbon sequestration (Krna and Rapson, 2013). In his study of decomposition across a 700 m altitudinal gradient … Continue reading Matthew Krna: Decomposition rates of leaf litter are temperature-independent

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Podcast transcripts

Eusociality and the transition from biparental to alloparental care in termites: Podcast Transcript

In this podcast for Functional Ecology, Assistant Editor, Frank Harris, sits down with Thomas Chouvenc—Assistant Professor at the University of Florida—to discuss his recently published paper ‘Eusociality and the transition from biparental to alloparental care in termites.’ Thomas’ paper shows that, in eusocial insects, colony foundation is a critical bottleneck, where the founding individuals must engage in a temporary (but obligatory) parental care phase that … Continue reading Eusociality and the transition from biparental to alloparental care in termites: Podcast Transcript

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Behind the paper

Melissa Pastore: What’s happening beneath our feet when it comes to climate change?

In this new post, Melissa Pastore—a global change ecologist and Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Vermont in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, USA, and with the Gund Institute for Environment, USA—discusses her recently published paper ‘Soil microbial legacies influence freeze–thaw responses of soil’. Her research takes a cross-scale approach to understanding the impacts of global environmental changes, spanning processes happening at … Continue reading Melissa Pastore: What’s happening beneath our feet when it comes to climate change?

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Behind the paper

Aoife Cantwell-Jones: How Arctic bees interact with plants depends on body size variation and spatiotemporal context

Aoife Cantwell-Jones—a PhD student at Imperial College London, UK—shares with us the background behind her recently accepted paper, “Mapping trait versus species turnover reveals spatiotemporal variation in functional redundancy and network robustness in a plant-pollinator community.” She discusses nuances of bumblebee-plant interactions and the importance of researching mutualistic interactions to solve global change issues, as well as celebrating teamwork. About the paper The intricate interdependencies … Continue reading Aoife Cantwell-Jones: How Arctic bees interact with plants depends on body size variation and spatiotemporal context

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