Category: Behind the paper

Behind the paper

Petr Dostál: Invasion alters reproduction in a native perennial plant

In this new post, Petr Dostál—from the Institute of Botany, Czech Republic—presents his work ‘Reproductive strategies of native plant populations altered by a plant invasion’. He highlights the connection between native and exotic plant species, discusses how evolution can progress faster than expected, and shares the greenness of central European grasslands.  About the paper A dump site, brownfield, or an abandoned garage are sites where … Continue reading Petr Dostál: Invasion alters reproduction in a native perennial plant

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Behind the paper

Chaoqing Song: Tree demography in a moist tropical forest: Response to water stress and associations with plant functional traits

In this new post, PhD candidate at University of Sun Yat-sen University, Chaoqing Song, presents his work ‘Differential tree demography mediated by water stress and functional traits in a moist tropical forest’. He shows the importance of water for tree survivability, highlights how functional traits can help us to understand demography, and thanks data collectors who help to enable science to advance.  About the paper … Continue reading Chaoqing Song: Tree demography in a moist tropical forest: Response to water stress and associations with plant functional traits

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Behind the paper

Camila Madeiros: What are you doing in a place like this? Connecting plants’ climate preferences with functional traits

Camila Medeiros—a post-doc at University of California Los Angeles, USA—presents her work ‘Predicting plant species climate preferences on the basis of mechanistic traits’. She discusses the connection between traits and niches, shows how to do ecology with small budgets, and highlights the need to transfer scientific knowledge to general audiences. About the paper By using mechanistic traits, our paper improves the ability to predict plant … Continue reading Camila Madeiros: What are you doing in a place like this? Connecting plants’ climate preferences with functional traits

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Behind the paper

Indra Boving: Plants and flammability—Deep inside the mechanisms of wild fires

In our newest post, Indra Boving—a PhD candidate at University of California-Santa Barbara, USA—shares her latest work ‘Live fuel moisture and water potential exhibit differing relationships with leaf-level flammability thresholds’. She explains when plants become most flammable, the challenges of making fires in a lab, and shares her journey in ecology. About the paper Our paper was inspired by patterns observed across the landscape in … Continue reading Indra Boving: Plants and flammability—Deep inside the mechanisms of wild fires

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Behind the paper, Translation

Camille Bernery & Clara Marino: Exploring the profile of fish invaders in order to better understand their dynamics

In this new post, Camille Bernery and Clara Marino—a Post doctorate and PhD student, respectively, at the Ecology, Systematic and Evolution (ESE) lab, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Gif-sur-Yvette, France—share their recently published paper titled: Relative importance of exotic species traits in determining invasiveness across levels of establishment: Example of freshwater fish. They discuss the characteristics that explain differences in invasion success of freshwater fish, challenges … Continue reading Camille Bernery & Clara Marino: Exploring the profile of fish invaders in order to better understand their dynamics

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Behind the paper, Translation

Camille Bernery & Clara Marino : Explorer le profil des poissons envahissants pour mieux comprendre leur dynamique

Dans cet article, Camille Bernery et Clara Marino, respectivement post-doctorante et doctorante au laboratoire Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution (ESE) (Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech), partagent leur article récemment publié intitulé : Relative importance of exotic species traits in determining invasiveness across levels of establishment : Example of freshwater fish. Elles discutent des caractéristiques qui expliquent les différences dans le succès d’invasion des poissons d’eau douce, des … Continue reading Camille Bernery & Clara Marino : Explorer le profil des poissons envahissants pour mieux comprendre leur dynamique

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Behind the paper

Curtis Lubbe: Trash or treasure—rhizomes as a vital plant organ

In our new post, Curtis Lubbe from the Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic, presents his latest work ‘Trash or Treasure: Rhizome conservation during drought’. Curtis discusses the wonders of the rhizome, elucidates his research on senescence, and shares some lovely whimsical drawings of plants. About the paper Many herbaceous perennial plants use rhizomes (stem-derived belowground storage organs) to store resources, grow, … Continue reading Curtis Lubbe: Trash or treasure—rhizomes as a vital plant organ

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Behind the paper

Gil Rilov: Invasive engineers—global drivers of ecological change

In this post, Prof. Gil Rilov—Senior Scientist at the National Institute of Oceanography, Israeli Limnological and Oceanographic Research (IOLR), as well as Associate Professor, at the University of Haifa, Israel—discusses his recently published review paper ‘Ecological impacts of invasive ecosystem engineers: A global perspective across terrestrial and aquatic systems’. Gil discusses the impacts, positive and negative, of alien invasions, his love of diving, and what … Continue reading Gil Rilov: Invasive engineers—global drivers of ecological change

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Behind the paper

Eva Janíková: How to find species potentially able to withstand the specific conditions of a site?

In this new post, Eva Janíková—a postdoc at the University of South Bohemia (Czech Republic)—presents her latest work: ‘Methods of species pool determination as predictors of survival in seeding and transplanting experiments’. She discusses the mechanisms behind species community composition, highlights the complexity of ecological research, and shares how working in ecology is the perfect match for her love for nature. About the paper When … Continue reading Eva Janíková: How to find species potentially able to withstand the specific conditions of a site?

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Behind the paper

Dan Buonaiuto: Understanding the effects of temperature and light in ecological experiments—the delicate balance between complexity and inference

Dr. Dan Buonaiuto—currently a postdoc in the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, USA—discusses his recently published Commentary “Experimental designs for testing the interactive effects of temperature and light in ecology: The problem of periodicity.” In this post, Dan discusses the serendipitous nature of this paper, the importance of interdisciplinary research and collaboration, and being in nature. About the paper Experiments in … Continue reading Dan Buonaiuto: Understanding the effects of temperature and light in ecological experiments—the delicate balance between complexity and inference

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