community ecology

Vultures and large herbivores mediate plant community responses to mass mortality events

Carolina Baruzzi, Brandon Barton, Michael Cove, Bronson Strickland, Marcus Lashley This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Mass mortality events of wildlife are increasingly frequent as their causes (e.g., extreme weather events, diseases) are exacerbated by global change. Mass mortality events can have profound effects on ecological communities. Broadly, mass mortality events can have two … Continue reading Vultures and large herbivores mediate plant community responses to mass mortality events

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plant physiological ecology, Reviews

Root ecology must be rooted again

Florian Fort This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology review article which can be found here. Root systems come in a wide variety of shapes, colours, and organisation. Within a root system, some old roots may display absorbing hairs while young ones will not, which differs from the images in biology textbooks. This diversity helps plants acquire soil resources, mainly water and … Continue reading Root ecology must be rooted again

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community ecology

Some microbes may be early indicators of the consequences of global warming

Daniel J. Wieczynski, Holly V. Moeller, Jean P. Gibert This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. All microbes need to eat. Some are like plants, using photosynthesis and consuming CO2 from the atmosphere. Others are like animals and eat smaller microbes like bacteria, which releases CO2 back into the atmosphere. These divergent effects on CO2 … Continue reading Some microbes may be early indicators of the consequences of global warming

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animal physiological ecology

Salty Ducks!

Tuula E. Hollmen, Paul L. Flint, Sadie E.G. Ulman, Heather M. Wilson, Courtney L. Amundson, Erik E. Osnas This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. In Alaska, many waterfowl mothers raise their young on coastal tundra wetlands, where ducklings have access to fresh water and ample foods for healthy growth. However, times may be changing … Continue reading Salty Ducks!

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ecosystems ecology

Nitrogen deposition promotes the fungal-driven soil organic carbon sequestration in tropical forests 

Zhe Lu, Hui Li, Emma J. Sayer, Zhanfeng Liu, Luhua Li, Yao Chen, Guoming Qin, Jintian Li, Jinge Zhou, Xingyun Huang, Jingfan Zhang, Jingtao Wu, Poonam Thapa, Faming Wang This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Human activities such as fossil fuel use and agriculture release large amounts of nitrogen into the atmosphere, which is … Continue reading Nitrogen deposition promotes the fungal-driven soil organic carbon sequestration in tropical forests 

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community ecology

Multilayer networks reveal that the interactions between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence plant recruitment dynamics (+ Spanish translation)

José L. Garrido, Julio M. Alcántara, Álvaro López-García, Carmen V. Ozuna, Antonio J. Perea, Jorge Prieto, Ana Rincón, Concepción Azcón-Aguilar This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Plants interact with different organisms during their life cycles. These interactions may be antagonistic, if they negatively affect the plants (e.g. herbivores or parasites), or mutualistic, if they … Continue reading Multilayer networks reveal that the interactions between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi influence plant recruitment dynamics (+ Spanish translation)

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plant physiological ecology

How are cloud forest oaks adapting to drought?

Beatriz Argüelles−Marrón, Jorge A. Meave, Isolda Luna−Vega, Doris B. Crispin-DelaCruz, Paul Szejner, Fressia N. Ames-Martínez, Ernesto C. Rodríguez−Ramírez This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Climate change is one of the main factors affecting the adaptive capacity of species sensitive to climatic variations, such as endangered tree species, in moist environments such as tropical montane … Continue reading How are cloud forest oaks adapting to drought?

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ecosystems ecology

Blue Carbon Ecosystems: Will stress change how much carbon they can store?

Lucy Gwen Gillis, Inés G. Viana , Carmen B. de los Santos This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology perspective article which can be found here. Per area, coastal ecosystems—such as mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and salt marshes—absorb more carbon than terrestrial systems. These ecosystems are known as blue carbon ecosystems. The plants in these ecosystems have specific features called plant traits, … Continue reading Blue Carbon Ecosystems: Will stress change how much carbon they can store?

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animal physiological ecology

Russian and French blackbirds in Germany maintain aspects of migration strategies, but follow locals in timing

Cornelia W. Twining, J. Ryan Shipley, Marshall D. McCue, Ivan Pokrovsky, Arnaud Gregoire, Bruno Faivre, Martin Wikelski, and Jesko Partecke This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Migration is often an endurance event that requires sufficient fuel. While human athletes that fail to eat optimally may cost themselves Olympic medals, wild animals that fail to … Continue reading Russian and French blackbirds in Germany maintain aspects of migration strategies, but follow locals in timing

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ecosystems ecology

Drought may pose a greater threat to stream ecosystems than climate warming

Daniel Nelson, Michelle H. Busch, Darin A. Kopp, Daniel C. Allen This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Climate warming and changes in streamflow patterns are two global change stressors affecting stream ecosystems worldwide. In particular, warming stream temperatures and stream drying are predicted to alter the metabolism of stream ecosystems. Stream ecosystem metabolism is … Continue reading Drought may pose a greater threat to stream ecosystems than climate warming

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