Category: community ecology

community ecology

Evolutionary relatedness and similarity explain the interactions between exotic and local plants mediated by flower visiting insects

Mialy Razanajatovo, Felana Rakoto Joseph, Princy Rajaonarivelo Andrianina, Mark van Kleunen This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. When exotic species conquer new regions, new combinations of exotic and local species interact. We can therefore use invasions as natural experiments to understand the formation of species interactions. For flowering plants, exotic species, once they have … Continue reading Evolutionary relatedness and similarity explain the interactions between exotic and local plants mediated by flower visiting insects

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community ecology

Linking the variations in euphotic microbes with marine particulate organic carbon flux

Ruiwen Hu, Songfeng Liu, Muhammad Saleem, Zhiyao Xiong, Zhengyuan Zhou, Zhiwen Luo, Longfei Shu, Zhili He and Cheng Wang This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. The deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM) is a subsurface layer enriched in chlorophyll typical of stratified marine bodies. Being an integral component of sunlit ocean, the DCM layer not only … Continue reading Linking the variations in euphotic microbes with marine particulate organic carbon flux

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community ecology

Water use partitioning of native and non-native tree species in riparian ecosystems under contrasting climatic conditions

Elena Granda, Cristina Antunes, Cristina Máguas, Pilar Castro-Díez This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Non-native plants introduced by humans to a new ecosystem have to deal with conditions they might not be adapted to. Yet, some non-native plants become so successful that they can even displace native plants. One of the mechanism that explains … Continue reading Water use partitioning of native and non-native tree species in riparian ecosystems under contrasting climatic conditions

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community ecology

It takes a community to maintain a tree hollow

Ross Wetherbee, Tone Birkemoe, Johan Asplund, Marek Renčo, Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Large, old trees were once common in forest throughout the world, but are now becoming increasingly rare, primarily due to human activities. When a tree grows old it develops a complex structure with many ‘microhabitats’, and the global … Continue reading It takes a community to maintain a tree hollow

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community ecology

Ruderals naturalize and competitors invade

Kun Guo, Petr Pyšek, Milan Chytrý, Jan Divíšek, Zdeňka Lososová, Mark van Kleunen, Simon Pierce, Wen-Yong Guo This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Deciphering the factors that allow plants to progress from introduction through establishment to spread (i.e., introduction-naturalization-invasion continuum) is of great importance to both theoretical and applied ecology. Recently, Grime’s adaptive strategies, … Continue reading Ruderals naturalize and competitors invade

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community ecology

Kelps Restrict Corals’ Expansion Amid Climate Change

Felipe de Vargas Ribeiro, Albert Pessarodona, Chenae Tucket, Yannick Mulders, Renato Crespo Pereira, Thomas Wernberg This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article that can be found here. Kelp forests are one of the dominant habitats in cool waters worldwide. They increase biodiversity and provide shelter and food to associated species and other ecosystems nearby. Numerous kelp forests have however been … Continue reading Kelps Restrict Corals’ Expansion Amid Climate Change

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community ecology

Flower color and flowering time determine the organization of diverse flowering plant communities and how they interact with pollinators

Cristopher Albor, Tia-Lynn Ashman, Amber Stanley, Carlos Martel, Gerardo Arceo-Gómez This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article that can be found here. Understanding how natural communities are organized, that is, why some species are able to co-exist while others do not, is central for predicting how biodiversity may be affected by human disturbances. Specifically, flowering plant communities can be organized … Continue reading Flower color and flowering time determine the organization of diverse flowering plant communities and how they interact with pollinators

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community ecology

Born with a silver spoon? How light condition experienced by parent plants influences the response of offspring to light

Wei Xue, Lin Huang, Fei-Hai Yu, T. Martijn Bezemer This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article that can be found here. It is a common phenomenon in humans, animals, and plants that environmental conditions experienced by a parent can influence their offspring. In plants, this effect can act through both parental effects (i.e. characteristic changes of the parent due to … Continue reading Born with a silver spoon? How light condition experienced by parent plants influences the response of offspring to light

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community ecology, Reviews

Invertebrate traits, diversity and the vulnerability of groundwater ecosystems

Grant Hose, Anthony Chariton, Michiel Daam, Tiziana Di Lorenzo, Diana Maria Paola Galassi, Stuart Halse, Ana Sofia Reboleira, Anne Robertson, Susanne Schmidt, Kathryn Korbel This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology review which can be found here. The invertebrates living in groundwater have adapted to a harsh environment where food and oxygen are limited, but other factors, such as temperature and darkness, … Continue reading Invertebrate traits, diversity and the vulnerability of groundwater ecosystems

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community ecology

Root functional traits drive the overyielding in maize/legume intercropping systems

Hao Yang, Hua-Sen Xu, Wei-Ping Zhang, Zhao-Xin Li, Hong-Xia Fan, Hans Lambers, Long Li This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article that can be found here. Intercropping is an effective practice for eco-friendly production and sustainable agricultural development. Intercropping promotes the efficient use of resources in agroecosystems, including nutrients, water and light. Root systems often play an important role in … Continue reading Root functional traits drive the overyielding in maize/legume intercropping systems

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