Solomon Maerowitz-McMahan: From Ashes to Insights: Mycorrhizal Fungi Role in Post-Fire Landscapes

It’s been just over a month since the 12th International Conference on Mycorrhiza. In these blog posts, we hear from some of the winners of Functional Ecology’s poster and talk prizes! Here, Solomon Maerowitz-McMahan – who won our first place prize for his talk “From ashes to insights: mycorrhizal fungi role in post-fire landscapes” – discusses navigating his first conference, the joys of both lab and field work, … Continue reading Solomon Maerowitz-McMahan: From Ashes to Insights: Mycorrhizal Fungi Role in Post-Fire Landscapes

Leonardo Castanedo on Thriving Together at ICOM12: Unraveling Nutrient Dynamics and Insights on Ericoid Mycorrhizal Symbiosis and lessons therein

It’s been just over a month since the 12th International Conference on Mycorrhiza. In these blog posts, we hear from some of the winners of Functional Ecology’s poster and talk prizes! Here, Leonardo Castanedo – who won our second place prize for his talk ‘Thriving together: unravelling nutrient dynamics regulating ericoid mycorrhizal symbiosis‘ – shares insights into his research, his experience at the conference, and … Continue reading Leonardo Castanedo on Thriving Together at ICOM12: Unraveling Nutrient Dynamics and Insights on Ericoid Mycorrhizal Symbiosis and lessons therein

Beatrice Bock: Becoming a scientist wasn’t a mistake, just a happy little accident

It’s been just over a month since the 12th International Conference on Mycorrhiza. In these blog posts, we hear from some of the winners of Functional Ecology’s poster and talk prizes! Here, Beatrice Bock – who won our second place prize for her poster ‘Common mycorrhizal networks: exploring the “dark web“‘ – discusses her journey from business to ecology. She makes the case for pursuing … Continue reading Beatrice Bock: Becoming a scientist wasn’t a mistake, just a happy little accident

Emily Holden: Plants prefer similar neighbours: increasing competition with higher trait dissimilarity.  

In our new post Emily Holden, PhD candidate at University of Alberta (Canada), presents her work ‘Plant trait dissimilarity increases competitive interactions among co-occurring plants’. She talks about confronting contrasting hypotheses, shares how she overcame COVID-19 to do her experiment, and celebrates her grandmother’s gardening skills.  About the paper  A foundational theory in ecology is that similar species will compete strongly as they share niche … Continue reading Emily Holden: Plants prefer similar neighbours: increasing competition with higher trait dissimilarity.  

Tom Martin and Penn Lloyd: What makes songbirds different in their breeding cycles?

In our latest post, authors Tom Martin and Penn Lloyd explore what makes songbirds different in their breeding cycles. Tom, a retired scientist of the University of Montana, and Penn, an ecological consultant in Queensland Australia, share insight behind their paper: “Potential drivers of differences in breeding phenology as a component of life history strategies among coexisting species”. They help explain the causes and consequences … Continue reading Tom Martin and Penn Lloyd: What makes songbirds different in their breeding cycles?

Tuğcan Alınç: Exploring multitrophic interactions: How beneficial soil microbes boost indirect plant defenses against herbivores

In our new post, Tuğcan Alınç, postdoctoral research at University of Palermo, presents his work ‘Root inoculation with beneficial soil microbes enhances indirect plant defenses induced by insect feeding and egg deposition’. He unveils the wonderful complexity of biotic interactions, discusses the importance of indirect paths for sustainable agriculture, and shares his inspiring visits to his grandfather’s farm.  About the paper  Plants have evolved various … Continue reading Tuğcan Alınç: Exploring multitrophic interactions: How beneficial soil microbes boost indirect plant defenses against herbivores

Lu Wang: Divergent microbial phosphorous acquisition strategies between active layer and permafrost deposits on the Tibetan Plateau

In this new post, Lu Wang, a Ph.D. student from the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, discusses her recently published paper, “Divergent microbial phosphorous acquisition strategies between active layer and permafrost deposits on the Tibetan Plateau”. She delves into the research gap regarding phosphorus cycle in permafrost soils, highlights the challenges associated with measuring phosphorus acquisition strategies and shares her fascination for … Continue reading Lu Wang: Divergent microbial phosphorous acquisition strategies between active layer and permafrost deposits on the Tibetan Plateau