One size doesn’t fit all: Global change impacts plant-consumer interactions in complex ways

22 September 2026

Micha Davidova, Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, discusses their article: Direct and indirect effects of elevated CO2, warming and drought on plant-consumer interactions of Plantago lanceolata Setting the scene Interactions between plants and their consumers, such as herbivores and pathogens, are among the key factors shaping p… Read more

Excellence in Peer Review

17 September 2026

Across all the BES journals, we’ve seen a marked rise in submissions over the last year, highlighting the strong reputation and reach of our journals and published articles. However, this growth also brings increased pressure to maintain a rigorous and fair peer review system, as editors face growing challenges in securing suitable reviewers, while… Read more

Can we really make forests more resilient? The hidden connections behind forest resilience

15 September 2026

Pilar Hurtado Aragüés, Global Change Research Institute and Department of Biology (Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain), discusses her article: Network modularity analysis reveals strategies for strengthening forest resistance, recovery, and resilience to disturbances Looking beneath the surface Before working on this project, I would probabl… Read more

Rainfall variability promotes coexistence mainly through fluctuating competition

8 September 2026

Wei Lin and Chengjin Chu, Sun Yat-sen University, discuss their article: Interannual rainfall variability promotes species coexistence primarily through relative nonlinearity in interaction strength Ecologists often study species coexistence as if environmental conditions remain constant over time. But in the real world, rainfall can vary dramatica… Read more

Can plant traits help us predict who gets eaten?

1 September 2026

Nicolas D. Zurbuchen, University of Zurich, discusses his article: Intraspecific trait variation responds consistently to global change drivers and mediates herbivory across unrelated plant species Plants may look still, but they live in a busy world. Around them, insects and other invertebrates are feeding, fungi are infecting leaves, and the clim… Read more

Can a plant’s own defence system change the legacy it leaves in the soil?

27 August 2026

Duo Chen, University of Konstanz in Germany, discusses her article: Induced resistance of plants reduces their negative soil-legacy effects on natives but not on naturalized aliens Plants leave a lasting imprint on the soil Plants do much more than grow in soil. Throughout their lives, they alter the environment around their roots by taking up… Read more

What makes a changing community stable? Lessons from 60 years of succession

25 August 2026

Caiyue Yang and Shaopeng Li, from East China Normal University, and Scott J. Meiners, from Eastern Illinois University, discuss their article: Compensatory and statistical-averaging effects jointly explain the decrease in species asynchrony over 60 years of succession A long-term view of succession If you had walked through abandoned farmland in Ne… Read more

Why it’s good for trees to be fast at least once in their lifetime

20 August 2026

Christian Ammer, University of Göttingen, discusses his article: Get out of the starting block quickly—Small initial differences in seed and seedling size affect tree survival and growth over 25 years A race spanning decades—who will win? When seeds fall from old European beech trees during a mast year, several hundred thousand seedlings can sprout… Read more

Whole-plant symphony: The multi-organ coordinated code of growth strategies

18 August 2026

Yong-Jiao Zhou, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, discusses their article: Trait networks and the whole-plant economics spectrum: Uncovering key determinants of growth rate across 33 temperate tree species Why do some trees grow fast, while others always seem to lag behind? For decades, ecologists have strived to answer thi… Read more

Defense against multiple enemies changes differently across latitudes in an invasive plant and its native congener

13 August 2026

Xinmin Lu, Huazhong Agricultural University, Joshua Lynn, Manchester University, and Evan Siemann, Rice University, discuss their article: Latitudinal patterns in growth and defense against multiple enemies of an invasive species and its native congener Why are some plant species more successful invaders than others? A long-standing hypothesis is t… Read more

Information support

Online consultation

We are always open for suggestions and comments.

Fill out the feedback form and our specialists will contact you as soon as possible. Your appeal will not go unanswered. Thank you for being with us.
Together we can make a difference.

Online consultation