Category: Behind the paper

Behind the paper

Angela Illuminati: A closer look to roots in drylands

In this new post Angela Illuminati, postdoc at University Rey Juan Carlos, Spain, presents her work ‘Functional differences between herbs and woody species in a semiarid Mediterranean plant community: a whole-plant perspective on growth, nutrient-use and size’. She talks about the many gaps existing in dryland plant ecology, shows the amazing distances that roots systems cover, and shares how science strengthens her family bonds.  About … Continue reading Angela Illuminati: A closer look to roots in drylands

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Franziska Zahn: Beyond Photosynthesis: Do small trees in the understory of tropical forest gain additional carbon from fungi? 

Franziska Zahn, postdoc at University of Bayreuth (Germany), presents her work “Stable isotope analysis indicates partial mycoheterotrophy in arbuscular mycorrhizal woody seedlings in tropical forests”. She discusses the collaborative network established between plants and fungi, how little we know about C-transfer in plants, and advises everyone to focus on their research despite the fascinating questions ecology offers to us.  Thinking of plants, we often picture … Continue reading Franziska Zahn: Beyond Photosynthesis: Do small trees in the understory of tropical forest gain additional carbon from fungi? 

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

James Mouton: Red-breasted nuthatches smear sap around their nest entrances to protect against predators

James and team tap into the behavioural dynamics of red-breasted nuthatches and their use of conifer resin (sap). In their paper “Behavioural co-option of plant secondary compounds by a cavity-nesting bird is an adaptation against competition and predation”, James studies the how and why of nuthatch nesting behaviour and their apparent love for sticky, smelly conifer resin! On top of a delightful explanation on the … Continue reading James Mouton: Red-breasted nuthatches smear sap around their nest entrances to protect against predators

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Mariana Campagnoli: What characteristics make frugivores good seed dispersers in a diverse neotropical savanna?

In our latest post, Mariana Campagnoli gives us a bite of the fascinating fruit to seed dispersal system of the Cerrado ecosystem in Brazil. Through their latest paper “Plant and frugivore species characteristics drive frugivore contributions to seed dispersal effectiveness in a hyperdiverse community”, Mariana describes the delicate relationship between fruit and frugivore, and reminds us of how important seed dispersal services are for many … Continue reading Mariana Campagnoli: What characteristics make frugivores good seed dispersers in a diverse neotropical savanna?

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper, Translation

Mariana Campagnoli: Quais características tornam animais frugívoros bons dispersores em uma diversa savana Neotropical? (Portuguese) 

Em nosso último post, Mariana Campagnoli nos dá uma mordida no fascinante sistema de dispersão de frutas para sementes do ecossistema do Cerrado no Brasil. Por meio de seu último artigo “Características de espécies de plantas e frugívoros impulsionam contribuições de frugívoros para a eficácia da dispersão de sementes em uma comunidade hiperdiversa”, Mariana descreve o delicado relacionamento entre frutas e frugívoros e nos lembra … Continue reading Mariana Campagnoli: Quais características tornam animais frugívoros bons dispersores em uma diversa savana Neotropical? (Portuguese) 

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Unveiling the Hidden Partnerships of Rare Orchids: A Journey into Symbiotic Mysteries

In our new post Kenji Suetsugu, professor at Kobe University (Japan), presents his work ‘Mycorrhizal specialization toward each distinct Oliveonia fungus in two closely related photosynthetic Dactylostalix orchids’. He talks about the symbiotic relationships between orchids and mycorrhizal fungi, shows his surprise when finding unexpected results and highlights the need to combine multiple techniques to unveil the secrets of nature. Have you ever wondered how … Continue reading Unveiling the Hidden Partnerships of Rare Orchids: A Journey into Symbiotic Mysteries

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Mary Woodruff: How do nestling birds cope with heat?

In this new blog post, Mary Woodruff presents her recent work ‘Heat alters diverse thermal tolerance mechanisms: An organismal framework for studying climate change effects in a wild bird‘. She explains the importance of understanding thermal tolerance for conservation decision-making in the face of climate change, discusses the challenges of collecting data from nestling birds, and shares the factors she believes contribute to excellent research. … Continue reading Mary Woodruff: How do nestling birds cope with heat?

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Carly Stevens: Exploring Great Britain’s limestone pavements 

In this blog post Carly Stevens, professor at University of Lancaster, presents her work ‘Large changes in vegetation composition seen over the last 50 years in British limestone pavements’. She shares her motivation behind surveying all limestone pavements in Great Britain, presents the conservation challenges faced by this habitat, and encourages every ecologist to go into the field to collect data.     About the paper  Limestone … Continue reading Carly Stevens: Exploring Great Britain’s limestone pavements 

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Laura Riggi: Strip cropping improves plant defenses against herbivorous insects via the soil  

In this post Laura Riggi from University of Wageningen (Netherlands) presents her work ‘Strip-cropping legacy enhances potato plant defence responses to aphids via soil-mediated mechanisms’. She talks about the importance of diversity for agriculture, discusses the connections between above- and belowground organisms, and shares how her love for arthropods guided her to made agriculture more sustainable.   About the research Intensive agriculture focuses on growing a … Continue reading Laura Riggi: Strip cropping improves plant defenses against herbivorous insects via the soil  

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment
Behind the paper

Yunpeng Luo: Leaf phenology may be physiologically regulated by carbon sink-source dynamics & non-structural carbohydrates

In this post Yunpeng Luo, an ecologist at The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape WSL, shares insights from his recent work “Internal physiological drivers of leaf development in trees: Understanding the relationship between non-structural carbohydrates and leaf phenology”. He highlights that plants’ carbon sink-source activities and concentration of non-structural carbohydrates could be the key eco-physiological drivers that influence the plant phenology. Additionally, … Continue reading Yunpeng Luo: Leaf phenology may be physiologically regulated by carbon sink-source dynamics & non-structural carbohydrates

Unknown's avatarFunctional EcologyLeave a comment