Month: June 2024

Behind the paper

Šárka Angst on marcescence: how standing dead biomass affects litter decomposition of herbs

In this Behind the Paper blog post, Šárka Angst – a research assistant at the Czech Academy of Sciences – discusses her paper “The effect of dead standing (marcescent) biomass on litter decomposition in herbaceous flora is governed by plant functional group“. Šárka discusses the ecological relevance of marcescence, conducting fieldwork in the cold, and how she’s developed a passion for soil ecology. About the … Continue reading Šárka Angst on marcescence: how standing dead biomass affects litter decomposition of herbs

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Pride 2024

Pride Month 2024: Kelsey Byers

Happy Pride Month! Join the British Ecological Society in this annual, global celebration as we share stories from STEM researchers who belong to the LGBTQ+ community.  This post is by Kelsey Byers (any/all pronouns), an evolutionary chemical ecology researcher studying floral scent and pollination at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK.  [author note: I use the term ‘queer’ repeatedly in this post to refer … Continue reading Pride Month 2024: Kelsey Byers

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Oriana Sánchez-Mahecha: What are the potential single and combined effects of heatwaves and extremes in water availability on microbe-plant interactions and the consequences that may leave on posterior plant-insect interactions?  

In this new post, Oriana Sánchez-Mahecha – a PhD student from the Technical University of Munich, Germany – presents her work “Microbe-induced plant resistance against insect pests depends on timing of inoculation but is consistent across climatic conditions”. Here, she discusses the importance of including extreme abiotic factors associated to climate change scenarios when studying bacteria-plant-insect interactions, shows how they might influence microbe-plant associations and … Continue reading Oriana Sánchez-Mahecha: What are the potential single and combined effects of heatwaves and extremes in water availability on microbe-plant interactions and the consequences that may leave on posterior plant-insect interactions?  

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Simon Bahrndorff: Acclimation to moderate temperatures can have strong negative impacts on heat tolerance of arctic arthropods

In this new post, Simon Bahrndorff of Aalborg University in Denmark presents his work ‘Acclimation to moderate temperatures can have strong negative impacts on heat tolerance of arctic arthropods‘. Simon discusses his research on the effects of prolonged exposure to moderate temperatures on terrestrial Arctic ectotherms and shares his thoughts on the importance of uncovering challenges and solutions for a changing world. About the Paper … Continue reading Simon Bahrndorff: Acclimation to moderate temperatures can have strong negative impacts on heat tolerance of arctic arthropods

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Noah Leith: Understanding how thermoregulation affects insect survival and reproduction in the face of climate change 

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, Noah Leith – a PhD candidate in the Fowler-Finn Lab at Saint Louis University – discusses his research article Thermoregulation enhances survival but not reproduction in a plant-feeding insect, which was recently published in Functional Ecology. Noah discusses the impacts of thermoregulation on treehopper survival and reproduction, the joys of temperature models, and how his interest in animal … Continue reading Noah Leith: Understanding how thermoregulation affects insect survival and reproduction in the face of climate change 

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment