Category: Reviews

Infection-Induced Phenotypes, Reviews, Special Features

Behavioural responses to parasites differ based on host social organization

Sebastian Stockmaier, Yuko Ulrich, Gregory F. Albery, Sylvia Cremer, Patricia C. Lopes This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology review article which can be found here. Like us, many animals are social. While social group living has many benefits, it increases the chances to acquire socially transmitted parasites and, hence, many animals have evolved behaviours to either avoid, resist, or tolerate infections … Continue reading Behavioural responses to parasites differ based on host social organization

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community ecology, Reviews

Crop species and wild plants differ in their ecological roles and traits

Rubén Milla This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology review article which can be found here. The bulk of our food supply ultimately depends on a few species of agricultural plants: corn, wheat, legumes, fruit trees and vegetables, among others. In total, a few hundred species. But where do they come from and how did they become agricultural plants? All of them … Continue reading Crop species and wild plants differ in their ecological roles and traits

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community ecology, Reviews

Passive Acoustic Monitoring provides a fresh perspective on fundamental ecological questions

Samuel R.P-J. Ross, Darren P. O’Connell, Jessica L. Deichmann, Camille Desjonquères, Amandine Gasc, Jennifer N. Phillips, Sarab S. Sethi, Connor M. Wood, Zuzana Burivalova This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology review article which can be found here. From a bleary-eyed dawn chorus, to magnificent symphonies of whale song, to deafening choruses of tropical insects, the natural world is awash with the … Continue reading Passive Acoustic Monitoring provides a fresh perspective on fundamental ecological questions

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plant physiological ecology, Reviews

A fresh look at seed dormancy reveals three pathways enable seeds to germinate

Byron B. Lamont and Juli G. Pausas This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology review article which can be found here. Seeds are fine-tuned to accept only certain environmental stimuli to break dormancy and cause them to germinate at once or allow them to germinate later. Some seeds germinate as soon as the soil is moist, warm, and aerated. Their dormancy had … Continue reading A fresh look at seed dormancy reveals three pathways enable seeds to germinate

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Fire as a dynamic ecological and evolutionary force, Reviews, Special Features

Challenges for continued forest cover persistence under contemporary climate and wildfire in the western USA

Shuang Liang, Matthew D. Hurteau This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology review article which can be found here. Fire plays a key role in the distribution of forest ecosystems in the western US. Fire alters tree demography and tree species composition, creating heterogeneous landscape structure that feeds back to influence fire behavior and subsequent impacts on vegetation. The fire-vegetation interaction occurs … Continue reading Challenges for continued forest cover persistence under contemporary climate and wildfire in the western USA

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Ecosystem Engineers, Reviews

Ghosts of animals, plants, and microbes: How organisms affect the environment after they’re gone

Lindsey K. Albertson, Leonard S. Sklar, Benjamin B. Tumolo, Wyatt F. Cross, Scott F. Collins, H. Arthur Woods This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology review article which can be found here. Living organisms change the environment in many ways. Beavers create dams for themselves, and these small impoundments and pools they form are habitat for many other organisms. Corals build reefs that … Continue reading Ghosts of animals, plants, and microbes: How organisms affect the environment after they’re gone

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animal physiological ecology, Reviews

The effect of diet on melanin pigmentation

Sarah Britton and Goggy Davidowitz This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology review article which can be found here. Melanin is a common pigment that is found in many types of external animal tissue including skin, fur, hair, feathers, and cuticle. This pigment can create coloration that ranges from gray and black to tan and yellow. Across the animal kingdom melanin is … Continue reading The effect of diet on melanin pigmentation

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Fire as a dynamic ecological and evolutionary force, Reviews

Fire characteristics determine how fire affects insects and other arthropods: evidence from a review

Blyssalyn V. Bieber, Dhaval K. Vyas, Amanda M. Koltz, Laura A. Burkle, Kiaryce S. Bey, Claire Guzinski, Shannon M. Murphy, andMayra C. Vidal This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Humans are altering nature in many important ways, and these changes are affecting the organisms with whom we share our environment. One of the most … Continue reading Fire characteristics determine how fire affects insects and other arthropods: evidence from a review

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plant physiological ecology, Reviews

Nitrogen-induced phosphorus limitation affects soil carbon cycling

Min Luo, Daryl L. Moorhead, Raúl Ochoa-Hueso, Carsten W. Mueller, Samantha C. Ying, Ji Chen This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology review article which can be found here. Fossil fuel combustion and agricultural fertilization have more than doubled natural levels of reactive nitrogen (N) inputs to terrestrial ecosystems, whereas the input of phosphorus (P) is relatively small. These unbalanced N and … Continue reading Nitrogen-induced phosphorus limitation affects soil carbon cycling

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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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