Tag: photosynthesis

Behind the paper

Evan Perkowski | Sabotage in the understory: garlic mustard’s late-season havoc on native plant photosynthesis

In this blog post, author Evan Perkowski – a postdoctoral research associate at Texas Tech University – delves into his research article “The negative effects of an allelopathic invader on native plant photosynthesis are amplified after tree canopy closure“, which was published in Functional Ecology in July 2026. Evan shares how garlic mustard “sows the seeds” of havoc on native plant photosynthesis, the challenges of … Continue reading Evan Perkowski | Sabotage in the understory: garlic mustard’s late-season havoc on native plant photosynthesis

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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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