Behind the paper

Masayoshi Hiraiwa on diverse communities for diverse interactions: impact of long-tongued pollinator loss in pollination networks. 

In this new post, Masayoshi Hiraiwa – postdoctoral researcher at Kindai University – presents his work ‘Loss of functional diversity rather than species diversity of pollinators decreases community‐wide trait matching and pollination function’. He discusses the importance of functional traits on biotic interactions, the challenge of finding proper study sites, and his interest in less studied pollination groups.   A Japanese translation of this blog post … Continue reading Masayoshi Hiraiwa on diverse communities for diverse interactions: impact of long-tongued pollinator loss in pollination networks. 

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Behind the paper

Thinles Chondol: Survival strategy in the hostile Himalayan Mountain: Marcescence

In this new post, Thinles Chondol – a PhD candidate at the University of South Bohemia – presents her work “Ecological significance of marcescence in Himalayan plants: Why is standing dead phytomass more important in demanding, resource-limited environments?” She shows the importance of marcescence for plant persistence, discusses how looking at your study system can lead to new questions and shares how her love for … Continue reading Thinles Chondol: Survival strategy in the hostile Himalayan Mountain: Marcescence

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Behind the paper

Šárka Angst on marcescence: how standing dead biomass affects litter decomposition of herbs

In this Behind the Paper blog post, Šárka Angst – a research assistant at the Czech Academy of Sciences – discusses her paper “The effect of dead standing (marcescent) biomass on litter decomposition in herbaceous flora is governed by plant functional group“. Šárka discusses the ecological relevance of marcescence, conducting fieldwork in the cold, and how she’s developed a passion for soil ecology. About the … Continue reading Šárka Angst on marcescence: how standing dead biomass affects litter decomposition of herbs

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Pride 2024

Pride Month 2024: Kelsey Byers

Happy Pride Month! Join the British Ecological Society in this annual, global celebration as we share stories from STEM researchers who belong to the LGBTQ+ community.  This post is by Kelsey Byers (any/all pronouns), an evolutionary chemical ecology researcher studying floral scent and pollination at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK.  [author note: I use the term ‘queer’ repeatedly in this post to refer … Continue reading Pride Month 2024: Kelsey Byers

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Behind the paper

Oriana Sánchez-Mahecha: What are the potential single and combined effects of heatwaves and extremes in water availability on microbe-plant interactions and the consequences that may leave on posterior plant-insect interactions?  

In this new post, Oriana Sánchez-Mahecha – a PhD student from the Technical University of Munich, Germany – presents her work “Microbe-induced plant resistance against insect pests depends on timing of inoculation but is consistent across climatic conditions”. Here, she discusses the importance of including extreme abiotic factors associated to climate change scenarios when studying bacteria-plant-insect interactions, shows how they might influence microbe-plant associations and … Continue reading Oriana Sánchez-Mahecha: What are the potential single and combined effects of heatwaves and extremes in water availability on microbe-plant interactions and the consequences that may leave on posterior plant-insect interactions?  

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Behind the paper

Simon Bahrndorff: Acclimation to moderate temperatures can have strong negative impacts on heat tolerance of arctic arthropods

In this new post, Simon Bahrndorff of Aalborg University in Denmark presents his work ‘Acclimation to moderate temperatures can have strong negative impacts on heat tolerance of arctic arthropods‘. Simon discusses his research on the effects of prolonged exposure to moderate temperatures on terrestrial Arctic ectotherms and shares his thoughts on the importance of uncovering challenges and solutions for a changing world. About the Paper … Continue reading Simon Bahrndorff: Acclimation to moderate temperatures can have strong negative impacts on heat tolerance of arctic arthropods

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Behind the paper

Noah Leith: Understanding how thermoregulation affects insect survival and reproduction in the face of climate change 

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, Noah Leith – a PhD candidate in the Fowler-Finn Lab at Saint Louis University – discusses his research article Thermoregulation enhances survival but not reproduction in a plant-feeding insect, which was recently published in Functional Ecology. Noah discusses the impacts of thermoregulation on treehopper survival and reproduction, the joys of temperature models, and how his interest in animal … Continue reading Noah Leith: Understanding how thermoregulation affects insect survival and reproduction in the face of climate change 

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Behind the paper

Zhenlong Xing: Plants may exploit herbivore-induced flavonoids to regulate AM fungal symbiosis 

In our latest post, Zhenlong Xing—a researcher at Henan University, Kaifeng, China—presents his work ‘Foliar herbivory modifies arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonization likely through altering root flavonoids’. He discusses the inspiration behind this paper and the path he took to become an ecologist.  About the paper  In June 2018, I obtained my PhD degree and I was lucky to start my new research career in Jianqing … Continue reading Zhenlong Xing: Plants may exploit herbivore-induced flavonoids to regulate AM fungal symbiosis 

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Behind the paper

Wayne Dawson: Unearthing the ‘hidden half’ of plant trait variation in a globally widespread herb.

In our new post, Professor Wayne Dawson from the University of Liverpool presents his work ‘Root traits vary as much as leaf traits and have consistent phenotypic plasticity among 14 populations of a globally widespread herb’. He highlights the importance of belowground traits, discusses the role of AMF on plants, and shares the relaxing power of greenhouse and lab work. About the paper Our study … Continue reading Wayne Dawson: Unearthing the ‘hidden half’ of plant trait variation in a globally widespread herb.

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Behind the paper

Fuqiang Song: The effects of long-term in situ N addition on the Korean pine plantation soil microbes and their regulation of soil priming effect 

In this new post, Professor Fuqiang Song of Heilongjiang University presents his work ‘Nitrogen addition suppresses soil positive priming effect in temperate plantations: evidence from an 8-year in situ field experiment’. He shows the effects of long-term in situ N addition on temperate plantation soil microbes and their regulation of soil priming effect.  About the paper  The rate of soil organic carbon decomposition is altered … Continue reading Fuqiang Song: The effects of long-term in situ N addition on the Korean pine plantation soil microbes and their regulation of soil priming effect 

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