Setting trees into pots in the greenhouse was fun, especially when their root system was as long as the legs of the researcher.
Behind the paper

Benjamin Hafner: Split it – disentangling functional mechanisms in forest ecology research

Benjamin Hafner of Technische Universität München & Cornell University, discusses his work “Water potential gradient, root conduit size and root xylem hydraulic conductivity determine the extent of hydraulic redistribution in temperate trees” shortlisted for the 2020 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers and draws on how a lifelong love of nature led to a career in forestry research. I have always been fascinated by nature … Continue reading Benjamin Hafner: Split it – disentangling functional mechanisms in forest ecology research

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Seraina Cappelli et Noémie Pichon sur l’expérience de PaNDiv, mai 2017. Crédit : Hugo Vincent
Behind the paper

Noémie Pichon: La décomposition démêlée

Read this blog in English here Noémie A. Pichon, alors étudiante en doctorat dans le groupe d’Eric Allan, parle de son récent article « La décomposition démêlée : un test des multiples mécanismes par lesquels l’enrichissement en azote modifie la décomposition de la litière », le contexte de cet article et les futures directions de ce champ de recherche. Quel est le contexte de votre étude ? Les expériences … Continue reading Noémie Pichon: La décomposition démêlée

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Journal content

2020 Haldane Prize Shortlist: Functional Ecology’s Award for Early Career Researchers

The Haldane Prize is awarded by the British Ecological Society each year for the best paper in Functional Ecology written by an early career author. The winner of the Haldane Prize 2020 is Renato Morais with his fantastic paper on coral reef energetic shifts following natural disaster. Severe coral loss shifts energetic dynamics on a coral reef – Renato A. Morais – read the blog behind the … Continue reading 2020 Haldane Prize Shortlist: Functional Ecology’s Award for Early Career Researchers

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Author Alihan Katlav, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment Western Sydney University, NSW, Australia
Behind the paper

Alihan Katlav: Egg size matters for sex allocation in thrips

Alihan Katlav is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University. Alihan is studying the evolution of sex allocation in haplodiploid thrips. Under supervision of Assoc. Prof. Markus Riegler and Prof. James Cook, Alihan’s Ph.D. research focuses on the mechanisms and constraints of sex allocation adjustment in Kelly’s citrus thrips – an important Australian-native pest of citrus which is … Continue reading Alihan Katlav: Egg size matters for sex allocation in thrips

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Daphne Cortese visiting an anemonefish site in Moorea, French Polynesia (Photo by Marc Besson).
Behind the paper

Daphne Cortese: Bleached anemones alter anemonefish physiology & behaviour

Daphne Cortese, PhD student at PSL Université Paris, Moorea, French Polynesia, explains the detrimental effects of anemone bleaching on the fish that depend on them in her recently accepted Functional Ecology paper, “Physiological and behavioural effects of anemone bleaching on symbiont anemonefish in the wild.” What’s your paper about? Our paper is about the cascading effect of bleaching on the physiology and behaviour of clownfish … Continue reading Daphne Cortese: Bleached anemones alter anemonefish physiology & behaviour

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Mark Wilber
Behind the paper

Mark Wilber: Resistance and tolerance of salamanders to an emerging fungal pathogen

Dr. Mark Wilber, Assistant Professor in the Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries at the University of Tennessee, discusses his recently accepted article, “Putative resistance and tolerance mechanisms have little impact on disease progression for an emerging salamander pathogen”, describes his favourite part about being ecologist, and how he got into the field. What is the background behind your paper? Hosts can defend themselves against … Continue reading Mark Wilber: Resistance and tolerance of salamanders to an emerging fungal pathogen

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Community+Ecology

International Women’s Day 2021: #ChooseToChallenge

Originally posted on The Applied Ecologist:
The theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge. “A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughts and actions – all day, every day. We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements. Collectively, we can all… Continue reading International Women’s Day 2021: #ChooseToChallenge

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Bushfire grounds near Bermagui in south-eastern Australia, viewed through a destroyed termite mound. Photos: F. Scarff, J. Lewin.
Behind the paper

Fiona Scarff: Effect of plant hydraulic traits on flammability

In this new post Fiona Scarff, a former postdoc at Macquarie University, presents her work on the effect of plant hydraulic traits on flammability, highlights the importance of lab meeting for fostering research and discusses the importance of failure in science. Our paper is about how readily live plants can burn in wildfires. Plants dry out in the hot, dry, windy weather that accompanies the … Continue reading Fiona Scarff: Effect of plant hydraulic traits on flammability

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Selfie of Dr Adam Frew
Journal content, Meet the Editor

Meet the editors: Adam Frew

Adam is an ecologist interested in plant-microbe and plant-insect interactions. His research investigates plant defences against herbivores, the ecology of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and everything in-between. He usually employs experimental approaches in controlled environment (glasshouse/growth chamber) and field studies to tease apart the functional ecology of the interactions between mycorrhizal fungi, plants, and herbivores. He recently took up an ongoing position at the University of … Continue reading Meet the editors: Adam Frew

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Jitka Klimesova sorting biomass in field
Behind the paper

Jitka Klimesova: why we should all care more about belowground plant organs

Jitka Klimesova serves as Senior Scientist at the Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Třeboň and as Professor at Charles University in Prague. Her main interest is in functional morphology of clonal and regenerative organs of herbs. She is the main author of the only existing database of clonal and bud bank traits for an entire flora (CLO-PLA; Czech Republic), organizes … Continue reading Jitka Klimesova: why we should all care more about belowground plant organs

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