Tag: plant physiological ecology

haldane prize

Indra Boving: Plants and flammability—Deep inside the mechanisms of wild fires

In this revisited blog post, Indra Boving, a PhD candidate at University of California-Santa Barbara, USA, shares her work ‘Live fuel moisture and water potential exhibit differing relationships with leaf-level flammability thresholds’, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2023 Haldane Prize for early career researchers. About the paper Our paper was inspired by patterns observed across the landscape in Southern California chapparal: wildfires typically … Continue reading Indra Boving: Plants and flammability—Deep inside the mechanisms of wild fires

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Behind the paper

Julia Cooke & Joanna Carey: What are the relationships between water and silicon uptake in plants, and what factors change cause shifts in these?

In this new post, Julia Cooke and Joanna Carey—ecologists and friends from the UK and USA—present their work ‘Stress alters the role of silicon in controlling plant water movement’. They show how to deal with contradictory experimental results, celebrate the importance of discussion to reach scientific answers and how results materialise. About the paper It is not uncommon to read conflicting experimental results among papers. … Continue reading Julia Cooke & Joanna Carey: What are the relationships between water and silicon uptake in plants, and what factors change cause shifts in these?

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Postcards From The Field

Nate Anderson: My unexpected path to academia

In our latest post, Nate Anderson—a researcher at the University of Western Australia—discusses the healing and regenerative benefits of time spent in nature, working in majestic Red Tingle forests, and the dangerous aspects of fieldwork in his study site. Profile I have followed a roundabout path to research. In 2008, my best friend committed suicide. I didn’t know how to process my grief or come … Continue reading Nate Anderson: My unexpected path to academia

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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

Indra Boving: Plants and flammability—Deep inside the mechanisms of wild fires

In our newest post, Indra Boving—a PhD candidate at University of California-Santa Barbara, USA—shares her latest work ‘Live fuel moisture and water potential exhibit differing relationships with leaf-level flammability thresholds’. She explains when plants become most flammable, the challenges of making fires in a lab, and shares her journey in ecology. About the paper Our paper was inspired by patterns observed across the landscape in … Continue reading Indra Boving: Plants and flammability—Deep inside the mechanisms of wild fires

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Behind the paper

Curtis Lubbe: Trash or treasure—rhizomes as a vital plant organ

In our new post, Curtis Lubbe from the Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic, presents his latest work ‘Trash or Treasure: Rhizome conservation during drought’. Curtis discusses the wonders of the rhizome, elucidates his research on senescence, and shares some lovely whimsical drawings of plants. About the paper Many herbaceous perennial plants use rhizomes (stem-derived belowground storage organs) to store resources, grow, … Continue reading Curtis Lubbe: Trash or treasure—rhizomes as a vital plant organ

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Behind the paper

Dan Buonaiuto: Understanding the effects of temperature and light in ecological experiments—the delicate balance between complexity and inference

Dr. Dan Buonaiuto—currently a postdoc in the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, USA—discusses his recently published Commentary “Experimental designs for testing the interactive effects of temperature and light in ecology: The problem of periodicity.” In this post, Dan discusses the serendipitous nature of this paper, the importance of interdisciplinary research and collaboration, and being in nature. About the paper Experiments in … Continue reading Dan Buonaiuto: Understanding the effects of temperature and light in ecological experiments—the delicate balance between complexity and inference

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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

Matthew Gilbert: Flowers of a South African succulent plant predict tomorrow’s weather, synchronizing flower opening with pollinator activity

In this new post Matthew Gilbert—Associate Professor at University of California, Davis, CA, USA—presents his recently published paper “Flowers of a South African succulent plant predict tomorrow’s weather, synchronizing flower opening with pollinator activity“. He discusses the connection between phenology and weather, shows how inspiration can come from anywhere, and highlights the importance of observing nature to find interesting research questions. About the paper It’s … Continue reading Matthew Gilbert: Flowers of a South African succulent plant predict tomorrow’s weather, synchronizing flower opening with pollinator activity

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