Audrey Barker Plotkin: Los árboles pueden morir de hambre debido a la defoliación por insectos

En esta publicación, Audrey Barker Plotkin de la Universidad de Harvard nos habla sobre su última investigación en la que estudia cómo los insectos invasores pueden matar de hambre a los árboles y la importancia de proteger los bosques templados. An English version of this blog is available here. Soy ecóloga forestal con base en Harvard Forest en el noreste de los Estados Unidos. Debido … Continue reading Audrey Barker Plotkin: Los árboles pueden morir de hambre debido a la defoliación por insectos

2021 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. Here is the shortlist for the 2021 Haldane Prize. Alexander Austin: Solitary bee larvae prioritize carbohydrate over protein in parentally provided pollen Audrey Barker Plotkin: Defoliated trees die below a critical threshold of stored carbon Bálint Uveges: Chemical defence effective against multiple … Continue reading 2021 Haldane Prize Shortlist: Functional Ecology’s Award for Early Career Researchers

Bálint Üveges

Bálint Üveges: Toad poison is a Swiss army knife against multiple enemies

In this post Bàlint Uvëges, postdoc at Bangor University, present his latest work ‘Chemical defence effective against multiple enemies: Does the response to conspecifics alleviate the response to predators?’, discuss the multiple ways animals have to avoid predation and shares his passion for venomous creatures. Ez a blog magyarul is elérhető itt! About the paper Predation is commonplace in nature, so prey animals need to … Continue reading Bálint Üveges: Toad poison is a Swiss army knife against multiple enemies

Lymantria dispar (caterpillar shown here) is one of the most destructive invasive insects in North America. Defoliation by this insect can kill oak trees by draining the trees’ energy reserves. Photo credit: Nathan Oalican.

Audrey Barker Plotkin: Trees can starve to death from insect defoliation

In this post, Audrey Barker Plotkin of Harvard University talks to us about her latest research where she investigates how invasive insects can starve trees and the importance of protecting temperate forest land. Este blog también está disponible en español I’m a forest ecologist based at the Harvard Forest in the northeastern United States. Because of high levels of global trade and forest cover, our … Continue reading Audrey Barker Plotkin: Trees can starve to death from insect defoliation

Ching-Wen Tan. Photo credit: Ju-Che Lo

Ching-Wen Tan: The Enemy of my enemy is my friend: beneficial natural enemies indirectly increase plant productivity in surprising new ways

Ching-Wen Tan of Penn State discusses their 2020 Haldane Prize Shortlisted work “Top‐down effects from parasitoids may mediate plant defence and plant fitness” and how patience is the best attitude to have for creativity How did you get into ecology? I developed my interest in herbivore-plant interactions from an ecology course as a freshman. After B.S. and M.S. in Entomology, I gained an opportunity to … Continue reading Ching-Wen Tan: The Enemy of my enemy is my friend: beneficial natural enemies indirectly increase plant productivity in surprising new ways

The studied reef has lost most of its coral cover due to two cyclones and two coral bleaching events. Despite some hard and soft coral colonies, most of the reef surface is covered in algal turfs, the favourite food of herbivorous reef fishes. Photo by Renato Morais.

Renato Morais: An unexpected (PhD project) journey

Renato Morais of James Cook University presents his 2020 Haldane Prize shortlisted research ‘Severe coral loss shifts energetic dynamics on a coral reef‘ and talks about his PhD experience where he learned that catastrophe doesn’t mean that all is lost. If I was asked to provide advice for someone starting a (PhD) project in Ecology, it would be don’t get emotionally attached to your project. … Continue reading Renato Morais: An unexpected (PhD project) journey

Jessica Moore is a microbial and ecosystem ecologist currently working in the Biosciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Jessica Moore: Root-microbe-ecologist Interactions

Jessica Moore’s research “Plant roots stimulate the decomposition of complex, but not simple, soil carbon” is shortlisted for the 2020 Haldane Prize prize for early career researchers. Here, she talks about her inspiration for the project as well as her experience as a first-generation college student and the importance of a support network. Recently, there has been a lot of discussion around how roots and … Continue reading Jessica Moore: Root-microbe-ecologist Interactions

Nina diving to collect fishes in French Polynesia. Copyright: Jennifer Adler

Nina Schiettekatte: Quantifying elemental fluxes in fishes

Nina Schiettekatte of PSL Research University takes us on a journey to French Polynesia to discuss her 2020 Haldane Prize shortlisted work “Nutrient limitation, bioenergetics and stoichiometry: A new model to predict elemental fluxes mediated by fishes” – and the joy of R! The ocean has always piqued my curiosity, and I am drawn to any large body of water.  Following my undergraduate studies in … Continue reading Nina Schiettekatte: Quantifying elemental fluxes in fishes

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

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

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

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