Tag: Behind the paper

Behind the paper

Gianalberto Losapio: A roadmap for restoring functional ecosystems using ecosystem engineers

Dr. Gianalberto Losapio from the University of Lausanne and University of Milan discusses with us their recently accepted paper “Monitoring and modelling the effects of ecosystem engineers on ecosystem functioning,” as well as their interest and roots in the field of ecology. About the paper Our review paper aims at developing a toolkit for the assessment of ecosystem functioning, which includes ecological processes arising from … Continue reading Gianalberto Losapio: A roadmap for restoring functional ecosystems using ecosystem engineers

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Behind the paper

Jackson Drew: Aging in the Arctic—Insights from a study on woody shrubs

In this new post, Jackson Drew—a PhD candidate in Alaska—presents his work ‘Age Matters: older Alnus viridis ssp. fruticosa are more sensitive to summer temperatures in the Alaskan Arctic‘. Here he shows the importance of age for plant growth, discusses the importance of global change for vegetation, and tells us how Alaska is not as cold as it used to be. About the paper To … Continue reading Jackson Drew: Aging in the Arctic—Insights from a study on woody shrubs

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Behind the paper

Austin Allison: Ground squirrels hibernate to avoid predation, but not at the expense of reproductive opportunities

Austin Allison—a PhD student at Colorado State University and recent MS graduate from the University of Idaho—discusses his recently accepted paper: “Why hibernate? Tests of four hypotheses to explain intraspecific variation in hibernation phenology.” About the Paper Why do animals hibernate? I—like many people—assumed I knew the answer to that question. Animals obviously hibernate to avoid seasonally unsuitable environmental conditions such as freezing temperatures and … Continue reading Austin Allison: Ground squirrels hibernate to avoid predation, but not at the expense of reproductive opportunities

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Behind the paper

Georgia Hernández Corrales: Closely related tropical herbs have similar tolerance to high temperatures

In our newest post Georgia Hernández Corrales—PhD candidate at University of Connecticut, USA—presents her work ‘Evolutionary history constrains heat tolerance of native and exotic tropical Zingiberales’. She discusses the importance of evolutionary history for plant physiology, shares the beauty of tropical forests, and highlights the importance of mentorship for a happy start in research. About the paper Lowland forests are one of the warmest ecosystems … Continue reading Georgia Hernández Corrales: Closely related tropical herbs have similar tolerance to high temperatures

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Behind the paper, Podcast transcripts

Flower patterns improve foraging efficiency in bumblebees by guiding approach flight and landing: Podcast Transcript

In this podcast for Functional Ecology, Assistant Editor, Frank Harris, sits down with Anna Stöckl—a Group Leader at Konstanz University, Germany—to discuss her recently published paper ‘Flower patterns improve foraging efficiency in bumblebees by guiding approach flight and landing’. Anna’s paper shows that flower patterns reduced flower handling time by up to 30%, without a reduction in nectar discovery time. Instead, the patterns were involved … Continue reading Flower patterns improve foraging efficiency in bumblebees by guiding approach flight and landing: Podcast Transcript

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Behind the paper, Translation

Hannah Meier: Transgenerational behavioral plasticity in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (German translation)

Hannah Meier, Reed College, Portland USA, erläutert in diesem Artikel ihre Arbeit zu “Temperature mediated transgenerational plasticity influences movement behavior in the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.” Dabei hebt sie die Bedeutung der Erfahrungen- am Beispiel der Algen – aus der Vergangenheit für unsere Gestaltungsmöglichkeiten in der Gegenwart hervor und zeigt die Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf. An English version of this blogpost is available here! Über … Continue reading Hannah Meier: Transgenerational behavioral plasticity in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (German translation)

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Behind the paper

Hannah Meier: Transgenerational behavioral plasticity in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

In this new post, Hannah Meier from Reed College (USA), presents her work ‘Temperature mediated transgenerational plasticity influences movement behavior in the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii’. She highlights the importance of historical effects on organisms, discusses the implications of climate change, and emphasizes the importance of good mentorship in STEM. Eine Deutsche übersetzung dieses artikels ist hier verfügbar! About the Paper In this paper we … Continue reading Hannah Meier: Transgenerational behavioral plasticity in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

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Behind the paper

Jessica Burrows: Hungry Bees-ness—Radiation exposure in contaminated landscapes such as the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone increases bumblebee feeding and metabolism

In this new post, Jessica Burrows—a fourth year PhD student based at the University of Stirling, Scotland—discusses her new paper ‘Ecologically relevant radiation exposure triggers elevated metabolic rate and nectar consumption in bumblebees’. Jessica’s PhD research is funded by the NERC IAPETUS doctoral training programme, and focuses on the effects of radiation levels found in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone on invertebrates. About the Paper There … Continue reading Jessica Burrows: Hungry Bees-ness—Radiation exposure in contaminated landscapes such as the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone increases bumblebee feeding and metabolism

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Journal Update

Lara Ferry: Research in Many Languages

Hello Readers! Wonderful to be saying hello to you again, as Senior Editor, and to be able highlight some really fun items in Functional Ecology (couldn’t resist). In this blog post, I will actually be focusing on the blog itself. You might have noticed recently that some of the blog posts, particularly those under the “Behind the Paper” tab, are written in languages other than English. … Continue reading Lara Ferry: Research in Many Languages

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