Are amphibians really doomed by heat? Why behavior and microhabitats matter for predicting climate change vulnerability Eric A. Riddell, David R. Adams, Molly C. Womack This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology perspective article which can be found here. Amphibians (frogs, salamanders, and caecilians…

📰Published📰 Are amphibians really doomed by heat? Why behavior and microhabitats matter for predicting climate change vulnerability🐸

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The influence of a cluster-rooted species on Bossiaea linophylla under extremely phosphorus-impoverished conditions: phosphorus competition and altered plant-microbe interactions Zhao Zhang, Ling-Ling Chen, Duccio Migliorini, Felipe E. Albornoz, Patrick M. Finnegan, Kosala Ranathunge, Hans Lambers This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article whi…

📰Published📰The influence of a cluster-rooted species on Bossiaea linophylla under extremely phosphorus-impoverished conditions: phosphorus competition and altered plant-microbe interactions🦠

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How nutrient additions alter the productivity benefits of tree diversity Dai F. Saito, Friderike Beyer, Grégoire T. Freschet, Anja Klingler, Charles A. Nock, Peter B. Reich, Michael Scherer-Lorenzen, Jürgen Bauhus This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology…

📰Published📰How nutrient additions alter the productivity benefits of tree diversity🌳

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Time-dependency in micro-and-macroevolutionary rates

Submit your proposal! Contributions will explore empirical evidence, methodological challenges, and statistical frameworks for detecting and interpreting rate variation over time. Proposal deadline: 1 May 2026. Articles due Oct 2026.

Methods in Ecology and Evolution

➡️ https://ow.ly/Qqvu50YMBSz

Why top predators follow the scents of fallen leaves Ryan P. Ferrer, Richard K. Zimmer This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. This study challenges and expands traditional ecological theory.…

📰Published📰Why top predators follow the scents of fallen leaves🍂

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Meet the (Senior) Editor: Sandra Varga In this blog post, we hear from our newest Senior Editor, Sandra Varga! Sandra – an Associate Professor at the University of Lincoln, UK – is an evolutionary ecologist interested in und…

🤝Meet the Senior Editor!🤝

🌟We hear from our newest Senior Editor, Sandra Varga!

🌱Sandra is an evolutionary ecologist interested in how plants interact with their environment, particularly plant-soil microbe interactions

📖Read it here: buff.ly/ou3Lkqq

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@sandravarga.bsky.social

🚨We're accepting proposals for our latest Special Feature, "Mountain Biodiversity in the Anthropocene" joint with @animalecology.bsky.social, @jappliedecology.bsky.social and @funecology.bsky.social!

🏔️Deadline to submit is 17 May. For more info 👉️ buff.ly/iNVgR40

Inducible Defenses, Chemical Aposematism, and the Spatial Ecology of Plant-Herbivore Interactions in Tall Goldenrod André Kessler, Katja Poveda This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Plants are not passive victims of herbivores. When attacked, they can …

📰Published📰Inducible defenses, chemical aposematism, and the spatial ecology of plant-herbivore interactions in tall goldenrod🪲

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Well done to Michael (Misha) Stemkovski, @mishastemkovski.bsky.social for winning the 2025 Haldane Prize in @funecology.bsky.social.

Misha's paper presents ecological acclimation as a framework that synthesises various ways ecosystems adjust to climate change.

doi.org/10.1111/1365...

Increased energetic cost of movement reduces reproductive output in zebrafish at different temperatures and water flow rates Miki Jahn, Frank Seebacher This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Most animals typically have a limited resources and energy available to…

📰Published📰Increased energetic cost of movement reduces reproductive output in zebrafish at different temperatures and water flow rates🐟️

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Well done to Michael (Misha) Stemkovski, @mishastemkovski.bsky.social for winning the 2025 Haldane Prize in @funecology.bsky.social.

Misha's paper presents ecological acclimation as a framework that synthesises various ways ecosystems adjust to climate change.

doi.org/10.1111/1365...

Haldane Prize Winner 2025 | Michael Stemkovski: Ecological acclimation: A framework to integrate fast and slow responses to climate change 2025 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: Michael Stemkovski discusses his paper “Ecological acclimation: A framework to integrate fast and slow responses to climate change”, which has won Function…

Find out more about Michael and his paper here👇️
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Read the complete shortlist for this year’s prize here👇️
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Haldane Prize Discover the best early career authors publishing in Functional Ecology.

Functional Ecology awards the Haldane Prize to the best paper in the journal by an early career author. The award is named in honour of J. B.S. Haldane, a polymath and one of the leading scientist in the study of physiology, genetics and evolutionary biology.

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“I hope that the privilege of receiving the Haldane Prize helps introduce ecological acclimation concepts to new audiences - we worked hard to make the framework widely applicable.”

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Michael and team proposed this framework to reduce climate disequilibrium, the difference between the present ecological state and that expected in the future. This new, unifying approach should enhance communication and collaboration among basic and applied ecologists across many disciplines

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We’re thrilled to announce Michael Stemkovski as the winner of Functional Ecology’s 2025 Haldane Prize! 🏆

Michael develops "ecological acclimation" as a framework for synthesizing work across biological scales and disciplinary areas, as well as time scales🌍️🧪

@mishastemkovski.bsky.social

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Can other beetles replace lost cycad pollinators? Searching for clues in plant traits Paul Janse van Rensburg, Terence N. Suinyuy, John S. Donaldson This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Cycads are among the world’s oldest…

📰Published📰Can other beetles replace lost cycad pollinators? Searching for clues in plant traits🪲

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@cofeuniwue.bsky.social

Soumen Mallick | No one-size-fits-all forest management: what elevation reveals about herbivory and plant stress In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Soumen Mallick – a Postdoctoral researcher at Field Station Fabrikschleichach, University of Würzburg – discusses the paper R…

👀Behind the Paper!👀

🌳Author Soumen Mallick shares how the team conducted large-scale forest experiments across Germany, the influence of climate on the impacts forest management actions, and the importance of collaboration and connection both within and outside of ecology

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Only 9 days left until applications to become a BES Fellow close! ⌛

Check out the latest publication from our group in Functional Ecology 🐝 led by Cristina Ganuza

Wildfire strengthens the relationship between soil biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality in subtropical forests Juan Zhou, Hans J. De Boeck, Erik Verbruggen, Simon Reynaert, Shenglei Fu, Jianping Wu, Ivan Nijs This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. …

📰Published📰Wildfire strengthens the relationship between soil biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality in subtropical forests🔥

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A red mason bee (Osmia bicornis) in its winter quarters, a reed stalk. It has just hatched and is preparing to leave the nest. (Image: Cristina Ganuza / University of Würzburg)

A large-scale experiment shows that warmth brings #bees and #wasps out of #hibernation earlier – leaving some of them with poorer starting conditions. New paper @ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social @funecology.bsky.social #climatechange
➡️ www.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/news-and-...

Global warming is changing the hatching of bees and wasps A large-scale experiment shows that warmth brings bees and wasps out of hibernation earlier – leaving some of them with poorer starting conditions. This is particularly true for species in cooler…

Find out more about this research in the authors' press release!

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Bees and wasps adjust to warming—yet their climate of origin sets limits Cristina Ganuza, Sarah Redlich, Andrea Holzschuh, Thomas Hovestadt, Oliver Mitesser, Sebastian Göllner, Annika Klein, Tamara Summ, Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter This is a plain language summary of a Func…

📰Published📰Bees and wasps adjust to warming—yet their climate of origin sets limits 🐝

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Tree characteristics change in mixed forests, leading to more wood production than in single-species plantations Joel Jensen, Haben Blondeel, Chloe MacLaren, Iftekhar U. Ahmed, Laurent Augusto, Lander Baeten, Mark R. Bakker, Jürgen Bauhus, Christel Baum, Friderike Beyer, Pedro Brancalion, Elisabeth Bönisch, P…

Tree characteristics change in mixed forests, leading to more wood production than in single-species plantations🌳

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Methods in Ecology and Evolution has a new special feature that is open for proposals!

Elizabeth Telford | What 10,000 Nodules Taught Me About Savanna Trees…. and Myself In this Behind the Paper blog post, author Elizabeth Telford – a postdoc at the the University of Sheffield – discusses the research article N2 fixation is linked to the ability to encr…

👀Behind the Paper!👀

Author Elizabeth Telford discusses the role of nitrogen fixation in how some trees respond to rising CO₂, how this research supported her get back into research, and her advice to keep looking forward🌳

Read it here👇️
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Mycorrhizal symbiosis and environmental conditions shape understory herb diversity in a large temperate forest region Jie Li, Rihan Da, Zheng Yin, Fushan Cheng, Chunyu Fan, Klaus von Gadow, Chunyu Zhang, Xiuhai Zhao This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. …

📰Published📰Mycorrhizal symbiosis and environmental conditions shape understory herb diversity in a large temperate forest region🌳

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Root exudates mediate microorganisms to improve rhizosphere nutrient availability and crop productivity under straw mulching and slow-release nitrogen fertilizer Jiajie Song, Shahzad Haider, Jianheng Song, Dingding Zhang, Gaihe Yang, Guangxin Ren, Xing Wang, Yongzhong Feng This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can b…

📰Published📰Root exudates mediate microorganisms to improve rhizosphere nutrient availability and crop productivity under straw mulching and slow-release nitrogen fertilizer🌽

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