Haldane Prize 2025 | Xiaojing Zhang: Mycelium biomass and community composition impact nutrient concentration in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at fine spatial scale

2025 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: Xiaojing Zhang discusses her paper “Mycelium biomass and community composition impact nutrient concentration in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at fine spatial scale“, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2025 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper Although AM fungi mediate nutrient exchange between plants and soil, how their own nutrient traits respond to fine scale variability remains unclear. Our … Continue reading Haldane Prize 2025 | Xiaojing Zhang: Mycelium biomass and community composition impact nutrient concentration in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at fine spatial scale

Kimberley Lemmen: Surprise! Rapid heritable adaptation can occur without initial standing genetic variation

In this new post, Kimberley Lemmen—a post-doc working at the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland—discusses her paper: Experimental evidence of rapid heritable adaptation in the absence of initial standing genetic variation—recently shortlisted for the 2022 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper Environmental change presents a fundamental challenge to populations because the traits that previously allowed individuals to grow, survive, and reproduce may … Continue reading Kimberley Lemmen: Surprise! Rapid heritable adaptation can occur without initial standing genetic variation

María Natalia Lescano: The complex role of bottom-up cascading effects: Excess nutrients make aphids less attractive to mutualistic ants

In our latest post, María Natalia Lescano, researcher at CONICET and University of Comahue, discusses their paper ‘Excessive nutrient input induces an ecological cost for aphids by modifying their attractiveness towards mutualist ants’, whilst also showcasing their fantastic tri-trophic study system and discussing the importance of cascading effects in ecosystems. About the paper Ecological stoichiometry considers the balance of energy and elements on organisms and … Continue reading María Natalia Lescano: The complex role of bottom-up cascading effects: Excess nutrients make aphids less attractive to mutualistic ants