Tag: plasticity

Behind the Special Feature

Vision in Challenging Environments – from Darkness to Dazzling Light

Zuzana Musilova and Sara Mae Stieb When animals look out into their world, they don’t all see the same thing. For some, light is abundant, even overwhelming. For others, it is vanishingly scarce. Vision is one of the most adaptable sensory systems, and in this Special Feature we explore how it is shaped and challenged by environments at their most extreme. Too little light From … Continue reading Vision in Challenging Environments – from Darkness to Dazzling Light

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Behind the paper

Théo Bodineau: The impact of nocturnal warming and prey availability during reproduction in a viviparous lizard

In this week’s blog post, we’re checking our calendars and addressing how climate change is causing shifts in breeding dates for reptiles! Discussing the article “A multi-trait evaluation of patterns and fitness consequences of breeding phenology plasticity with nocturnal warming and food restriction in a lizard”, Théo Bodineau explains just how sensitive the natural world can be to thermal changes from climate change and how … Continue reading Théo Bodineau: The impact of nocturnal warming and prey availability during reproduction in a viviparous lizard

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Behind the paper

Graydon Gillies: Understanding how high temperatures influence resource acquisition and competitive ability

In our latest post Graydon Gilles, MSc student at Queen’s University, presents his work ‘Temperature-dependence and genetic variation in resource acquisition strategies in a model freshwater plant’. He explains the mechanisms behind competition, shows the challenges behind building a lab in your apartment and shares his passion for outdoor ecology.    About the paper  As temperatures increase because of anthropogenic climate change, organisms are going to … Continue reading Graydon Gillies: Understanding how high temperatures influence resource acquisition and competitive ability

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Behind the paper

Wayne Dawson: Unearthing the ‘hidden half’ of plant trait variation in a globally widespread herb.

In our new post, Professor Wayne Dawson from the University of Liverpool presents his work ‘Root traits vary as much as leaf traits and have consistent phenotypic plasticity among 14 populations of a globally widespread herb’. He highlights the importance of belowground traits, discusses the role of AMF on plants, and shares the relaxing power of greenhouse and lab work. About the paper Our study … Continue reading Wayne Dawson: Unearthing the ‘hidden half’ of plant trait variation in a globally widespread herb.

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Behind the paper

Pieter Arnold: How an alpine plant species responds to temperature stress depends on the type of trait and life stage

In this new post, Pieter Arnold, Research Fellow at The Australian National University (ANU), presents his latest work ‘Patterns of phenotypic plasticity along a thermal gradient differ by trait type in an alpine plant’. Pieter discusses the challenges of his group’s experimental design, highlights the importance of looking at plants along their entire life cycle, and also advises everyone to expand their horizons when looking … Continue reading Pieter Arnold: How an alpine plant species responds to temperature stress depends on the type of trait and life stage

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