Tag: climate change

Behind the paper

Myrsky Eero: The warming arctic, herbivore outbreaks and the importance of long-term field studies

In our latest post, Myrsky Eero, a PhD student at the University of Helsinki, presents his work ‘Higher vascular plant abundance associated with decreased ecosystem respiration after 20 years of warming in the forest-tundra -ecotone’. He discusses the importance of long term research, presents the complex trade-offs happening in ecology and shares his passion for cold places. About the Paper The Arctic is warming as … Continue reading Myrsky Eero: The warming arctic, herbivore outbreaks and the importance of long-term field studies

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Behind the paper

Camila Madeiros: What are you doing in a place like this? Connecting plants’ climate preferences with functional traits

Camila Medeiros—a post-doc at University of California Los Angeles, USA—presents her work ‘Predicting plant species climate preferences on the basis of mechanistic traits’. She discusses the connection between traits and niches, shows how to do ecology with small budgets, and highlights the need to transfer scientific knowledge to general audiences. About the paper By using mechanistic traits, our paper improves the ability to predict plant … Continue reading Camila Madeiros: What are you doing in a place like this? Connecting plants’ climate preferences with functional traits

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Behind the paper

Gil Rilov: Invasive engineers—global drivers of ecological change

In this post, Prof. Gil Rilov—Senior Scientist at the National Institute of Oceanography, Israeli Limnological and Oceanographic Research (IOLR), as well as Associate Professor, at the University of Haifa, Israel—discusses his recently published review paper ‘Ecological impacts of invasive ecosystem engineers: A global perspective across terrestrial and aquatic systems’. Gil discusses the impacts, positive and negative, of alien invasions, his love of diving, and what … Continue reading Gil Rilov: Invasive engineers—global drivers of ecological change

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Behind the paper

Tesa Madsen-Hepp: Plant functional traits lend predictability to idiosyncratic range shifts

In this new post, Tesa Madsen-Hepp—PhD candidate at the University of California Riverside, USA—presents her latest research ‘Plant functional traits predict heterogeneous distributional shifts in response to climate change’. She highlights the high value of the Deep Canyon Transect, discusses the response of diverse dryland plant communities to long-term climate change, and shares the challenges in intense field campaigns. About the paper Our paper investigates … Continue reading Tesa Madsen-Hepp: Plant functional traits lend predictability to idiosyncratic range shifts

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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, haldane prize

Hugo Sentenac: Biofilms, an underrated yet important way of life

In this new post, Hugo Sentenac, a PhD student at Labaoratoire Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement (LEFE), Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, France, discusses his review paper: The significance of biofilms to human, animal, plant and ecosystem health—recently shortlisted for the 2022 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper Microbes are everywhere: in soil, on rocks, in—and on—us, animals, plants, etc. All this is … Continue reading Hugo Sentenac: Biofilms, an underrated yet important way of life

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Behind the paper

Melissa Pastore: What’s happening beneath our feet when it comes to climate change?

In this new post, Melissa Pastore—a global change ecologist and Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Vermont in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, USA, and with the Gund Institute for Environment, USA—discusses her recently published paper ‘Soil microbial legacies influence freeze–thaw responses of soil’. Her research takes a cross-scale approach to understanding the impacts of global environmental changes, spanning processes happening at … Continue reading Melissa Pastore: What’s happening beneath our feet when it comes to climate change?

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Behind the paper

Géraldine Hildbrand: Why some plants are better able to adapt to climate change

In this new post, Géraldine Hildbrand—Scientific collaborator, BFH-HAFL, Switzerland—presents her latest work ‘Above- and below-ground responses to experimental climate forcing in two forb species from montane wooded pastures in Switzerland’. She highlights the importance of ecophysiological traits, discusses the relevance of plasticity to cope with environmental changes, and explains how she can balance research while moving to teaching. About the paper It is undeniable that … Continue reading Géraldine Hildbrand: Why some plants are better able to adapt to climate change

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