Author: Functional Ecology

Behind the paper, haldane prize

Kimberley Lemmen: Surprise! Rapid heritable adaptation can occur without initial standing genetic variation

In this new post, Kimberley Lemmen—a post-doc working at the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland—discusses her paper: Experimental evidence of rapid heritable adaptation in the absence of initial standing genetic variation—recently shortlisted for the 2022 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper Environmental change presents a fundamental challenge to populations because the traits that previously allowed individuals to grow, survive, and reproduce may … Continue reading Kimberley Lemmen: Surprise! Rapid heritable adaptation can occur without initial standing genetic variation

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Behind the paper, haldane prize

Joshua Brian: Parasites flex their mussels to influence ecosystem function

In this new post, Joshua Brian, a new ecological researcher working at King’s College London,  UK, discusses his paper: Parasitism dramatically alters the ecosystem services provided by freshwater mussels—recently shortlisted for the 2022 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper There is increasing awareness of the importance of parasites in ecosystem structure and function. However, there has been very little work done actually … Continue reading Joshua Brian: Parasites flex their mussels to influence ecosystem function

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Behind the paper, haldane prize, Haldane Prize Winner

Aya Permin: Bryophyte-associated nitrogen fixation in a tropical mountain cloud forest—rates and responses to climate change

In this new post, Aya Permin, a new ecological researcher at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, discusses her paper—High nitrogen-fixing rates associated with ground-covering mosses in a tropical mountain cloud forest will decrease drastically in a future climate—which has won the 2022 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers! About the paper Bryophytes (mosses, hornworts, and liverworts) are known to host nitrogen (N2)-fixing bacteria. These bacteria … Continue reading Aya Permin: Bryophyte-associated nitrogen fixation in a tropical mountain cloud forest—rates and responses to climate change

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Behind the paper, haldane prize

Alice Walker: Indirect control of decomposition by an invertebrate predator

In this new post, Alice Walker, a new ecological researcher at the School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, UK, discusses her paper: Indirect control of decomposition by an invertebrate predator—recently shortlisted for the 2022 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper Most people have probably heard of vicious the “battles” that go on between ants and termites, thanks to the 1998 DreamWorks … Continue reading Alice Walker: Indirect control of decomposition by an invertebrate predator

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Behind the Special Feature, Podcast transcripts

The Mechanisms and Consequences of Infection-Induced Phenotypes: Podcast transcript

In this podcast for Functional Ecology, Assistant Editor, Frank Harris, sits down with Lauren Nadler and Sandra Binning—two of the four guest editors (also Shelley Adamo & Dana Hawley)—to discuss the recently published cross-journal (with Journal of Animal Ecology) Special Feature titled, The Mechanisms and Consequences of Infection-Induced Phenotypes. This special feature highlights recent insights into the ways parasites alter host phenotypes across a range … Continue reading The Mechanisms and Consequences of Infection-Induced Phenotypes: Podcast transcript

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Behind the Special Feature

Mechanisms and consequences of infection-induced phenotypes: A Functional Ecology and Journal of Animal Ecology cross-journal special feature

In this post, Functional Ecology and Journal of Animal Ecology showcases each article that can be found in our cross-journal special feature on Mechanisms and consequences of infection-induced phenotypes. This collection of studies brings together biologists working on a wide range of host-parasite systems and topics—from molecular biology and animal behaviour to comparative physiology and community ecology—to synthesize our current state of understanding of host-parasite … Continue reading Mechanisms and consequences of infection-induced phenotypes: A Functional Ecology and Journal of Animal Ecology cross-journal special feature

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Behind the paper

Matthew Gilbert: Flowers of a South African succulent plant predict tomorrow’s weather, synchronizing flower opening with pollinator activity

In this new post Matthew Gilbert—Associate Professor at University of California, Davis, CA, USA—presents his recently published paper “Flowers of a South African succulent plant predict tomorrow’s weather, synchronizing flower opening with pollinator activity“. He discusses the connection between phenology and weather, shows how inspiration can come from anywhere, and highlights the importance of observing nature to find interesting research questions. About the paper It’s … Continue reading Matthew Gilbert: Flowers of a South African succulent plant predict tomorrow’s weather, synchronizing flower opening with pollinator activity

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Journal Update

Call for proposals! The influence of beneficial fungi on plant-enemy interactions & plant community structure

Ecologists have mused over the mechanisms that structure plant communities for centuries. One such mechanism is negative density dependence, which has been proposed as a an important promoter of tree species diversity across plant communities. However, most negative density-dependence studies to date have focused on the roles played by insects and fungal pathogens. Less attention has been put on the potential for mutualistic fungi to… Continue reading Call for proposals! The influence of beneficial fungi on plant-enemy interactions & plant community structure

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Behind the paper, Podcast transcripts

Flower patterns improve foraging efficiency in bumblebees by guiding approach flight and landing: Podcast Transcript

In this podcast for Functional Ecology, Assistant Editor, Frank Harris, sits down with Anna Stöckl—a Group Leader at Konstanz University, Germany—to discuss her recently published paper ‘Flower patterns improve foraging efficiency in bumblebees by guiding approach flight and landing’. Anna’s paper shows that flower patterns reduced flower handling time by up to 30%, without a reduction in nectar discovery time. Instead, the patterns were involved … Continue reading Flower patterns improve foraging efficiency in bumblebees by guiding approach flight and landing: Podcast Transcript

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Behind the paper

Hana Skálová: Cations make a difference: Soil nutrient patches and fine-scale root abundance of individual species in a mountain grassland

Alt: Stable nutrient patches in the field seem attractive for plant roots In this new post Hana Skálová, from the Institute of Botany in Průhonice (Czech Republic), presents her recently published article “Cations make a difference: Soil nutrient patches and fine-scale root abundance of individual species in a mountain grassland.” She discusses the importance of overlooked nutrients on plant roots, highlights how new technology enables … Continue reading Hana Skálová: Cations make a difference: Soil nutrient patches and fine-scale root abundance of individual species in a mountain grassland

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