Lead author (left) setting up a speaker tripod for whitewater river noise playback.

Dylan Gomes: How the acoustic environment shapes spider abundance and behaviour

Dylan Gomes, a Ph.D. candidate at Boise State University, explains to us how the sounds of water affect spider abundance and behaviour in the recently accepted article, “Phantom river noise alters orb-weaving spider abundance, web size, and prey capture”, and discusses the need for more acoustic research in the field of ecology. What’s your paper about? Our paper highlights the importance of the natural acoustic … Continue reading Dylan Gomes: How the acoustic environment shapes spider abundance and behaviour

British Ecological Society26 Jan 202125 Jan 20211 Comment

Nacho Villar in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Behind the paper, Community+Ecology

Nacho Villar: the challenges of experimentally resolving the functional roles of large tropical forest herbivores

Nacho Villar, a post-doc at the Netherlands Institute of ecology, remembers the good times he had at Brazil, the challenges of running an animal exclusion experiment in the Brazilian Atlantic forest and how persistence, hard work and a little of cachaza are the key for a successful research. Frugivory underpins the nitrogen cycle. That’s what our latest work published at Functional Ecology shows. A game-changer for tropical … Continue reading Nacho Villar: the challenges of experimentally resolving the functional roles of large tropical forest herbivores

British Ecological Society10 Dec 202010 Dec 2020Leave a comment

Behind the paper

Michael Eisenring: Within-crown heterogeneity can affect herbivore performance in tree canopies

Dr. Michael Eisenring presents his work at University of Wisconsin titled “Spatial, genetic and biotic factors shape within‐crown leaf trait variation and herbivore performance in a foundation tree species”. He discusses the importance of sub-individual trait variation and how overcoming his fear to heights was worth it.

British Ecological Society27 Nov 20201 Dec 2020Leave a comment

Charlotte Poeydebat taking notes in the field (c) Soline MARTIN-BLANGY

Behind the paper

Charlotte Poeydebat: Effects of tree diversity on forest resistance to insect herbivores

Charlotte Poeydebat, postdoc at University of Bordeaux, presents her work “Climate affects neighbour‐induced changes in leaf chemical defences and tree diversity–herbivory relationships”, discusses the importance of research networks to address general questions in ecology and share her passion for ecosystems research.

British Ecological Society25 Nov 202024 Nov 2020Leave a comment

Dr. Lauren Nadler at the Lizard Island Research Station in Australia (photo credit Shaun Killen).

Behind the paper

Lauren Nadler: Nothing to gain with parasites on the brain

Dr. Lauren Nadler, Assistant Professor in the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences at Nova Southeastern University, explains how parasites can be energetically costly, even before infection, in her paper “A brain-infecting parasite impacts host metabolism both during exposure and after infection is established.” Dr. Nadler further discusses how she became involved in ecology, and why she enjoys the field.

British Ecological Society13 Nov 2020Leave a comment

Jamie enjoying the weather from his balcony in Sydney.

Behind the paper

Jamie Waterman: silicon and simulated herbivory modify plant defences

Jamie Waterman is a PhD Candidate at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University studying the mechanisms behind plant defences against insect herbivores. In this insight, he discusses his recent paper Short‐term resistance that persists: Rapidly induced silicon anti‐herbivore defence affects carbon‐based plant defences.

British Ecological Society13 Nov 2020Leave a comment

A picture of myself in the field (on Svalbard). Photo credited to Fumino Maruo

Behind the paper

Anna Katharina Pilsbacher: troubling the neighbours in the tundra

Anna Katharina Pilsbacher introduces her M.Sc. work at the Arctic University of Norway ‘Interfering with neighbouring communities: Allelopathy astray in the tundra delays seedling development’, speaks about the importance of understudied interactions and her journey from ecology to linguistics.

British Ecological Society13 Nov 2020Leave a comment

Behind the paper

Francisco E. Fontúrbel: Cryptic interactions between trees, mosses, and hummingbirds.

Dr. Francisco Fontúrbel, an Associate Professor in the Biology Department at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso in Chile, discusses with us his recent publication in Functional Ecology, titled “Cryptic interactions revisited from ecological networks: mosses as a key link between trees and hummingbirds”, as well as the background of the research, and how the study raises new questions to be answered.

Francisco in the field, contemplating an endemic moss in the temperate rainforests of Southern Chile (credit Johana Villagra).

British Ecological Society21 Oct 202016 Oct 2020Leave a comment

Behind the paper

Henry Pollock: Can tropical and temperate birds take the heat of climate change?

Dr. Henry Pollock, a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, discusses with us his recently accepted article in Functional Ecology: “Heat tolerances of temperate and tropical birds and their implications for susceptibility to climate change”, his journey into ecology, as well as his favorite (and least favorite) parts about being an ecologist.

Henry holding a Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) captured during his dissertation fieldwork in central Panama. Photo credit: Zach Welty, 2012.

British Ecological Society20 Oct 202020 Oct 2020Leave a comment

Behind the paper

Andrew Eagar: mycorrhizal types influence local spatial structure in temperate forest tree communities

Andrew Eagar, a phd candidate at the Kent State University, presents his article “Dominant community mycorrhizal types influence local spatial structure between adult and juvenile temperate forest tree communities” where he studied plant-soil feedbacks at community level, and talks about his passion for research.

British Ecological Society15 Oct 202016 Oct 2020Leave a comment

Functional Ecologists

Official blog of Functional Ecology, a British Ecological Society journal

Category: Behind the paper

Dylan Gomes: How the acoustic environment shapes spider abundance and behaviour

Nacho Villar: the challenges of experimentally resolving the functional roles of large tropical forest herbivores

Michael Eisenring: Within-crown heterogeneity can affect herbivore performance in tree canopies

Charlotte Poeydebat: Effects of tree diversity on forest resistance to insect herbivores

Lauren Nadler: Nothing to gain with parasites on the brain

Jamie Waterman: silicon and simulated herbivory modify plant defences

Anna Katharina Pilsbacher: troubling the neighbours in the tundra

Francisco E. Fontúrbel: Cryptic interactions between trees, mosses, and hummingbirds.

Henry Pollock: Can tropical and temperate birds take the heat of climate change?

Andrew Eagar: mycorrhizal types influence local spatial structure in temperate forest tree communities