When breaking up is (surprisingly) good: Forest fragmentation and Britain’s woodland wildflowers
Cristina Herrero-Jáuregui (Complutense University of Madrid), Merryn Hunt and Simon Smart (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology), and Lenore Fahrig (Carleton University) discuss their article: Richness of forest specialist plant species increases with forest fragmentation per se but decreases with proximity to forest edge and reduced forest patch size Walk into a large, ancient British…...
[read more]Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000
When do trees grow fastest? Ask their neighbors
Gheyur Gheyret, Xinjiang Normal University, discusses his article in Journal of Ecology: Tree growth phenology shifts in response to trait-based neighborhood effects in a large subtropical forest biodiversity experiment Growth in trees is invisible to the naked eye — it happens too slowly, too quietly, measured in micrometers rather than anything you could observe directly.…...
[read more]Thu, 25 Jun 2026 05:12:41 +0000
Why having more herbivores doesn’t always mean more damage: Resource dilution effects in beech canopies
Jan Vigués Jorba, from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, discusses his article: Same damage, different story: Vertical decoupling of herbivore abundance and beech herbivory across forest layers Invertebrate herbivory is a key ecological process that shapes ecosystem functions, especially in forest habitats. Since forests have a complex three-dimensional structure,…...
[read more]Tue, 23 Jun 2026 04:58:03 +0000
Seedling herbivory across elevational gradients: What drives both mean and variability in leaf damage?
Xiaoran Wang, East China Normal University, and Jian Zhang, Sun Yat-Sen University, discuss their article: Elevation and environmental factors shape variability rather than the mean of seedling herbivory across subtropical forests In mountain forests, not all seedlings experience insect herbivory in the same way. While some individuals suffer substantial leaf damage, others are barely affected.…...
[read more]Tue, 16 Jun 2026 02:53:18 +0000
The Brazilian Atlantic Forest and seed rain patterns across fragmented landscapes
Luís Felipe Daibes, from Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, Haldre Rogers, from Virginia Tech, and Marco A. Pizo, from São Paulo State University, discuss their article: Landscape features predict broad-scale seed rain patterns across fragments of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, in both English and Portuguese Spanning a broad latitudinal gradient across South America, the Brazilian…...
[read more]Tue, 09 Jun 2026 03:24:38 +0000
Climate adaptation begins with seeds: Lessons from dryland tree recruitment
Alexandra Urza, Whitebark Institute in California, discusses her article: Seed source climate and precipitation timing determine dryland tree recruitment in hot and dry range margins As climate change intensifies drought and reshapes precipitation patterns across western North America, many dryland forests are facing an uncertain future. Adult trees can survive harsh conditions for centuries, but…...
[read more]Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000
European mistletoes are unusual plants in lots of ways – but not in their demographic strategy
Oliver Spacey, University of Oxford, UK, discusses his article: European mistletoe shares a similar demographic strategy with non-parasitic plants Few plants are as enshrined in folklore as mistletoe, and much of this is owed to its unusual ecology. A parasitic plant that never touches the ground and was thus associated with divine power, European mistletoe…...
[read more]Tue, 02 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000
When losing species doesn’t weaken competition: Lessons from a Czech meadow
Eva Janíková, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, discusses her article: Realistic species loss has little effect on local resource depletion and competitive pressure in a temperate wet meadow A story that started with a simple idea When we began this project, we had clear expectations. Following ideas going back to Charles Elton’s hypothesis…...
[read more]Thu, 28 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000
A foundational salt marsh grass exhibits spatial variation in trait responses to sea level rise
Robert Dunn and Steve Pennings, University of Houston, discuss their article: Variable trait responses to rapid sea level rise in a foundational grass across a coastal marsh landscape One strategy that plants utilize to survive across a range of environmental conditions is to alter the expression of their traits. Functional traits are the characteristics of…...
[read more]Tue, 26 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000
The mechanisms driving the timing and duration of alpine meadow plant leaf senescence under climate warming and precipitation changes
Miaojun Ma. Lanzhou University, discusses his article: Warming advanced leaf senescence in alpine plants through advancing leaf emergence and increasing soil drought Background Plant autumn leaf senescence, which marks the end of photosynthesis and the growing season, as well as the onset of dormancy, is particularly critical in the plant annual cycle. Early or late…...
[read more]Thu, 21 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000
