Tag: trees

haldane prize

Tomonari Matsuo: Herbaceous species and dry forest species have more acquisitive leaf traits than woody species and wet forest species

2024 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: Tomonari Matsuo discusses his paper “Herbaceous species and dry forest species have more acquisitive leaf traits than woody species and wet forest species“, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2024 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers: About the author Having grown up in the mountainous region of Saitama, Japan, I developed a deep appreciation for nature from an early age. … Continue reading Tomonari Matsuo: Herbaceous species and dry forest species have more acquisitive leaf traits than woody species and wet forest species

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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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Behind the paper

Daniel Zuleta: Do small-scale changes in topography affect functional trait variability in an aseasonal Amazon forest?

In our newest post Daniel Zuleta—a postdoc researcher at Smithsonian ForestGEO—presents his last work ‘Interspecific and intraspecific variation of tree branch, leaf, and stomatal traits in relation to topography in an aseasonal Amazon forest’. He presents the huge Amacayacu Forest Dynamics Plot, findings about the major impact that tree size exerts on tree functional traits, and how he changed his interests from forest plantations industry … Continue reading Daniel Zuleta: Do small-scale changes in topography affect functional trait variability in an aseasonal Amazon forest?

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Behind the paper

Simon Haberstroh: Cork oaks under shrub invasion behave differently 

In this new post, Simon Haberstroh from Freiburg University, Germany, presents his latest work ‘Plant invasion modifies isohydricity in Mediterranean tree species’. He discusses the capacity of plants to regulate their hydraulic strategies and remembers his long survey nights in Portuguese oak forests.  About the paper  Our publication in Functional Ecology deals with plant hydraulic strategies, i.e. how plants regulate their water consumption during different … Continue reading Simon Haberstroh: Cork oaks under shrub invasion behave differently 

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Behind the paper

Eli Bendall: Not so tall (tree) tales from the glasshouse

In this new post, Eli Bendall from Western Sydney University presents his last paper ‘Growth enhancements of elevated atmospheric [CO2] are reduced under drought-like conditions in temperate eucalypts’. He discusses the interacting impact of CO2 rise and drought for woody plants, highlights why sunny days can be problematic for ecologists, and shares his unconditional love for eucalyptus. About the paper Our work investigated the interacting … Continue reading Eli Bendall: Not so tall (tree) tales from the glasshouse

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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.
Behind the paper

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

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Lead author during an acorn collecting campaign (photo credit: Jean-Marc Louvet).
Behind the paper

Thomas Caignard: opposite phenotypic and genetic patterns in Pyrenean oaks

In this new post, Thomas Caignard, post-doc at the University of Bordeaux, presents his latest paper ‘Counter-gradient variation of reproductive effort in a widely distributed temperate oak’, discusses the relevance of the rarely found ‘counter-gradients’ and talks about the multi-disciplinary approach is currently using. About the paper Our paper aims to study the phenotypic and genetic variability of one specific life history traits in trees: … Continue reading Thomas Caignard: opposite phenotypic and genetic patterns in Pyrenean oaks

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Sarah Konaré at the Lamto savanna. Photo: T. Srikanthasamy
Behind the paper

Sarah Konare: soil exploration by trees in humid savannas

In this new post, Sarah Konaré, a junior scientist at the University of Korhogo, presents her latest work ‘Spatial heterogeneity in nitrification and soil exploration by trees favour source-sink dynamics in a humid savanna: a modeling approach’, discusses the importance of N cycle on savannas and talks about her future steps in ecology. 1) About the paper Our paper highlights the importance of the soil … Continue reading Sarah Konare: soil exploration by trees in humid savannas

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