With board and lodging: facultative endosymbionts come with energy costs for aphids

Clavé Corentin, Sugio Akiko, Morlière Stéphanie, Pincebourde Sylvain, Simon Jean-Christophe, Foray Vincent This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Aphids form intimate associations with bacteria. These bacteria, also called endosymbionts, are hosted in specialized cells and are transmitted vertically from mother to offspring. While some endosymbionts are obligate (e.g., Buchnera aphidicola), others appear to be facultative, … Continue reading With board and lodging: facultative endosymbionts come with energy costs for aphids

Functional EcologyAugust 11, 2022August 15, 2022Leave a comment

animal physiological ecology

What to eat when it’s hot? Ectothermic predators feed more on small-bodied prey under warming

Matthew L. Meehan, Kurtis F. Turnbull, Brent J. Sinclair, Zoë Lindo This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article that can be found here. Most animals are ectotherms and have body temperatures similar to the environment. These animals respond strongly to temperature change, with higher temperatures increasing metabolic, movement, and feeding rates. Climate change will increase global temperatures by several degrees over the … Continue reading What to eat when it’s hot? Ectothermic predators feed more on small-bodied prey under warming

Functional EcologyJuly 4, 2022July 4, 2022Leave a comment

Functional Ecology: Plain Language Summaries

For every paper published in Functional Ecology, the authors write a plain language or lay summary, which explains the research (and its importance) in a generally accessible way

Tag: metabolic rates

With board and lodging: facultative endosymbionts come with energy costs for aphids

What to eat when it’s hot? Ectothermic predators feed more on small-bodied prey under warming