plant-animal interaction

Root inoculation with beneficial soil microbes enhances indirect plant defenses induced by insect feeding and egg deposition

Tuğcan Alınça, Ezio Peria, Livio Tortaa, Salvatore Guarinob, Stefano Colazzaa, Bart Lievens, Antonino Cusumanoa This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Plants are sessile organisms, yet they have adopted sophisticated ways to defend themselves against insect pests. One of these strategies consists of mounting early defenses which are activated even before the herbivore reaches the … Continue reading Root inoculation with beneficial soil microbes enhances indirect plant defenses induced by insect feeding and egg deposition

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ecosystems ecology

Human pressure drives the functioning of riverine food webs

Dieison A. Moi, Alejandro D´Anatro, Ivan González-Bergonzoni, Nicolás Vidal, Ivana Silva, Benoit Gauzens, Gustavo Q. Romero, Bradley, J. Cardinale, Claudia C. Bonecker, Vítor Carvalho-Rocha, Franco Teixeira de Mello This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. There is now sufficient evidence that fish biodiversity in riverine ecosystems is declining over time, largely driven by human activities. … Continue reading Human pressure drives the functioning of riverine food webs

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plant physiological ecology

Phenotypic variation of plant hydraulics

Ruike Huang, Ye Wang, Jie Duan, Benye Xi, Jinyan Yang, Ximeng Li, Jinchao Feng, Brendan Choat, David T Tissue This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. For most terrestrial plants, water is often limited, while global warming may intensify the water crisis as the climate becomes drier. To gain sufficient water, plants must adjust over … Continue reading Phenotypic variation of plant hydraulics

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evolutionary ecology

Plants compensate for plant-mediated species interactions among their attackers.

Daan Mertens, Jacob C. Douma, Bram B. J. Kamps, Yunsheng Zhu, Sophie A. Zwartsenberg, Erik H. Poelman This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. During their lifetime, plants face the difficult challenge of growing and reproducing while under attack by a multitude of herbivorous insects. Herbivores directly affect a plant’s reproduction by consuming flowers or … Continue reading Plants compensate for plant-mediated species interactions among their attackers.

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evolutionary ecology

Fitness effects of symbiotic relationships between arthropod predators: synergy in a three-way spider symbiosis

Po Peng, Devi Stuart-Fox, Yong-Chao Su, Yuki G. Baba, Mark A. Elgar This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Symbioses, where individuals of different species live together, are among the more intriguing relationships between organisms. Much of our understanding of symbioses comes from studies of symbiotic relationships between two species, but symbioses frequently involve multiple … Continue reading Fitness effects of symbiotic relationships between arthropod predators: synergy in a three-way spider symbiosis

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evolutionary ecology

Arctic insects, mites, and springtails are negatively affected by prolonged exposures to moderate temperatures

Jesper Givskov Sørensen, Natasja Krog Noer, Torsten Nygaard Kristensen, Simon Bahrndorff This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. The Arctic is experiencing some of the fastest temperature changes observed on Earth. However, it is unclear how these changes will affect Arctic insects, mites, springtails and other arthropods. Currently used simple measures of temperature tolerance suggest … Continue reading Arctic insects, mites, and springtails are negatively affected by prolonged exposures to moderate temperatures

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ecosystems ecology

Contrasting strategies in Amazonian trees are related to stem and twig wood density variation

Gisele Biem Mori, Jochen Schöngart, Juliana Schietti, J. Ethan Householder, Michelle Robin, Florian Wittmann, Lourens Poorter, Maria Teresa Fernandez Piedade This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Tropical tree species vary immensely in their characteristics, enabling different species to occupy particular environments where they are best suited. Wood density is a characteristic related to growth, … Continue reading Contrasting strategies in Amazonian trees are related to stem and twig wood density variation

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ecosystems ecology

How multiple stressors interact and affect leaf decomposition in freshwaters.

Graciela Medina Madariaga, Verónica Ferreira, Roshni Arora, India Mansour, Gwendoline M. David, Sonja C. Jähnig, Fengzhi He This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Different stressors can affect ecological functions in freshwater ecosystems, such as the rate at which leaves decompose after falling into the water. The effects of individual stressors on leaf decomposition have … Continue reading How multiple stressors interact and affect leaf decomposition in freshwaters.

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evolutionary ecology

Does urban warming constrain spider’s body size?

Valentin Cabon, Hervé Quénol, Benoît Deletre, Louis Copin, Vincent Dubreuil, Benjamin Bergerot This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. In cities, the climate varies from the countryside to the centre, with temperature inside the city often higher on average, a phenomenon called the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Temperature variations at the scale of an … Continue reading Does urban warming constrain spider’s body size?

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