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? 

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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

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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?

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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) 

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International Women's Day

International Women’s Day 2025 – Emma Sayer

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, we are excited to share a collection of blog posts showcasing the work of some of the BES community. In each post, they discuss their experiences in ecology, as well as what this year’s theme, ‘Accelerate Action’, means to them. Emma SayerProfessor in EcophysiologyUlm University, Germany What work do you do? Research, teaching, mentoring, and science communication – not … Continue reading International Women’s Day 2025 – Emma Sayer

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International Women's Day

International Women’s Day 2025 – Arianne Harris

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, we are excited to share a collection of blog posts showcasing the work of some of the BES community. In each post, they discuss their experiences in ecology, as well as what this year’s theme, ‘Accelerate Action’, means to them. Arianne-Elise HarrisUniversity of Guyana, Guyana What work do you do? I’m a conservation biologist/ecologist  and my research work focuses … Continue reading International Women’s Day 2025 – Arianne Harris

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International Women's Day

International Women’s Day 2025 – Katie Field

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, we are excited to share a collection of blog posts showcasing the work of some of the BES community. In each post, they discuss their experiences in ecology, as well as what this year’s theme, ‘Accelerate Action’, means to them. Katie FieldProfessor of Plant-Soil Processes University of Sheffield, UK What work do you do? I am a Professor of … Continue reading International Women’s Day 2025 – Katie Field

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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

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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?

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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 

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