Functional Ecology
@funecology.bsky.social
A @britishecologicalsociety.org journal, publishing papers that significantly advance the field of ecology, including physiological, behavioural and evolutionary ecology.
Pinned
🎆Our November issue is out now!🎆
📙On the cover: A female American alligator guards her nest. Within the nest, developing embryos respond to temperature fluctuations, which will determine if they develop as males or females. Photo credit: Benjamin Parrott🐊
Read it here👇
buff.ly/NrKXKtO
🧵1/2
🧪🌍
📙On the cover: A female American alligator guards her nest. Within the nest, developing embryos respond to temperature fluctuations, which will determine if they develop as males or females. Photo credit: Benjamin Parrott🐊
Read it here👇
buff.ly/NrKXKtO
🧵1/2
🧪🌍
📰Published📰Trait variation and plant performance: interactive effects of diversity and spatial patterning of plants across environmental conditions🌱
buff.ly/YvwlSUh
🧪🌍
buff.ly/YvwlSUh
🧪🌍
Trait variation and plant performance: interactive effects of diversity and spatial patterning of plants across environmental conditions
Shekhar R Biswas, Jialin Li, Ziqing Zhuo, Ke Wang, En-Rong Yan This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. The diversity and spatial arrangeme…
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 1:02 PM
📰Published📰Trait variation and plant performance: interactive effects of diversity and spatial patterning of plants across environmental conditions🌱
buff.ly/YvwlSUh
🧪🌍
buff.ly/YvwlSUh
🧪🌍
📰Published📰Renewal buds of herbs: What do they tell us about plant spring growth?🌼
buff.ly/1sDbFer
🧪🌍
buff.ly/1sDbFer
🧪🌍
Renewal buds of herbs: What do they tell us about plant spring growth?
Renáta Schnablová, Tereza Mašková, Tomáš Koubek, Alena Bartušková, Petr Šmarda, Jitka Klimešová, Tomáš Herben This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be …
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 11:00 AM
📰Published📰Renewal buds of herbs: What do they tell us about plant spring growth?🌼
buff.ly/1sDbFer
🧪🌍
buff.ly/1sDbFer
🧪🌍
📰Published📰Contrasting effects of deadwood and gaps on the trophic structure of forest soil microarthropods🪵
buff.ly/ILsbs8w
🧪🌍
buff.ly/ILsbs8w
🧪🌍
Contrasting effects of deadwood and gaps on the trophic structure of forest soil microarthropods
Yan Zhang, André Junggebauer, Melanie M. Pollierer, Stefan Scheu, Zheng Zhou This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Forests are full of l…
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 9:00 AM
📰Published📰Contrasting effects of deadwood and gaps on the trophic structure of forest soil microarthropods🪵
buff.ly/ILsbs8w
🧪🌍
buff.ly/ILsbs8w
🧪🌍
📖Cover Stories!📖
📙Dr. Russell Bonduriansky discusses the story behind the cover of Volume 30, Issue 10, published in 2016!
📸Russell shares his memories of capturing neriid flies in combat and how, thanks to a chance encounter on a walk with his son, he came to study them🪰
buff.ly/7PmIZKW
🧪🌍
📙Dr. Russell Bonduriansky discusses the story behind the cover of Volume 30, Issue 10, published in 2016!
📸Russell shares his memories of capturing neriid flies in combat and how, thanks to a chance encounter on a walk with his son, he came to study them🪰
buff.ly/7PmIZKW
🧪🌍
Cover Stories: Dr. Russell Bonduriansky
In this week’s blog post, Dr. Russell Bonduriansky, professor at University of New South Wales, discusses the story behind the cover for 2016’s Volume 30, Issue 10 of Functional Ecology. Russ…
buff.ly
November 21, 2025 at 4:15 PM
📖Cover Stories!📖
📙Dr. Russell Bonduriansky discusses the story behind the cover of Volume 30, Issue 10, published in 2016!
📸Russell shares his memories of capturing neriid flies in combat and how, thanks to a chance encounter on a walk with his son, he came to study them🪰
buff.ly/7PmIZKW
🧪🌍
📙Dr. Russell Bonduriansky discusses the story behind the cover of Volume 30, Issue 10, published in 2016!
📸Russell shares his memories of capturing neriid flies in combat and how, thanks to a chance encounter on a walk with his son, he came to study them🪰
buff.ly/7PmIZKW
🧪🌍
📰Published📰High-quality litter drives stronger home-field advantage of leaf decomposition in young plantations🍃
buff.ly/HMo7yFZ
🧪🌍
buff.ly/HMo7yFZ
🧪🌍
High-quality litter drives stronger home-field advantage of leaf decomposition in young plantations
Dandan Hu, Guojie Zhu, Panpan Wu, Shudong Zhang, Dongliang Cheng This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. When leaves fall to the ground, t…
buff.ly
November 21, 2025 at 11:00 AM
📰Published📰High-quality litter drives stronger home-field advantage of leaf decomposition in young plantations🍃
buff.ly/HMo7yFZ
🧪🌍
buff.ly/HMo7yFZ
🧪🌍
📰Published📰
Herbivore species and patch heterogeneity modulate grazing-induced shifts in soil nematode trophic structure and energy flux🌱
buff.ly/u8rnff1
🧪🌍
Herbivore species and patch heterogeneity modulate grazing-induced shifts in soil nematode trophic structure and energy flux🌱
buff.ly/u8rnff1
🧪🌍
Herbivore species and patch heterogeneity modulate grazing-induced shifts in soil nematode trophic structure and energy flux
Quanhui Ma, Yao Wang, G. F. (Ciska) Veen, Ting Liu, Xue Qing, Yonghuan Yue, Haoran Yu, Deli Wang, Wenjia Wu, Jingjing Yang, Dima Chen, Yu Zhu, Ling Wang This is a plain language summary of a Functi…
buff.ly
November 21, 2025 at 9:01 AM
📰Published📰
Herbivore species and patch heterogeneity modulate grazing-induced shifts in soil nematode trophic structure and energy flux🌱
buff.ly/u8rnff1
🧪🌍
Herbivore species and patch heterogeneity modulate grazing-induced shifts in soil nematode trophic structure and energy flux🌱
buff.ly/u8rnff1
🧪🌍
📰Published📰High nitrogen enrichment buffers plant photosynthesis against herbivory damage🌱
buff.ly/XLdE1yx
🧪🌍
buff.ly/XLdE1yx
🧪🌍
High nitrogen enrichment buffers plant photosynthesis against herbivory damage
Yongqiang Zhang, Dashuan Tian, Pengyu Li, Jiawen Li, Tingting Li, Shuli Niu, Tingfa Dong This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Nitrogen …
buff.ly
November 20, 2025 at 4:01 PM
📰Published📰High nitrogen enrichment buffers plant photosynthesis against herbivory damage🌱
buff.ly/XLdE1yx
🧪🌍
buff.ly/XLdE1yx
🧪🌍
📰Published📰Lianas and trees exhibit distinct hydraulic and functional traits in a subtropical forest🌳
buff.ly/xRkl2SF
🧪🌍
buff.ly/xRkl2SF
🧪🌍
Lianas and Trees Exhibit Distinct Hydraulic and Functional Traits in a Subtropical Forest
Xiaoyu Liu, Pengfei Liao, Xia Li, Zhiqi Hou, Zacchaeus G. Compson, Qingni Song, Fenggang Luan, Xiong Fang, Dongmei Huang, Qingpei Yang, Jun Liu This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecol…
buff.ly
November 20, 2025 at 2:00 PM
📰Published📰Lianas and trees exhibit distinct hydraulic and functional traits in a subtropical forest🌳
buff.ly/xRkl2SF
🧪🌍
buff.ly/xRkl2SF
🧪🌍
Reposted by Functional Ecology
Team-paper out!
G. Gea led this multidisciplinary study on 2 Mediterranean pines in drought-driven decline. Despite long-term stress, trees still activate strong metabolic defenses under hotter drought. @dendroecologist.bsky.social et al.
@funecology.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/fune...
G. Gea led this multidisciplinary study on 2 Mediterranean pines in drought-driven decline. Despite long-term stress, trees still activate strong metabolic defenses under hotter drought. @dendroecologist.bsky.social et al.
@funecology.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/fune...
📰Published📰An active metabolic response in trees with constrained physiology characterizes pine forest decline under climate change🌲
buff.ly/YfoM0Db
🧪🌍
buff.ly/YfoM0Db
🧪🌍
An active metabolic response in trees with constrained physiology characterizespine forest decline under climate change
Guillermo Gea-Izquierdo, María B. Fernández de Simón, David Sánchez-Gómez, Dario Martin-Benito, Antonio J. Pérez-Luque, Iria Muiño, Ismael Aranda This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ec…
buff.ly
November 19, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Team-paper out!
G. Gea led this multidisciplinary study on 2 Mediterranean pines in drought-driven decline. Despite long-term stress, trees still activate strong metabolic defenses under hotter drought. @dendroecologist.bsky.social et al.
@funecology.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/fune...
G. Gea led this multidisciplinary study on 2 Mediterranean pines in drought-driven decline. Despite long-term stress, trees still activate strong metabolic defenses under hotter drought. @dendroecologist.bsky.social et al.
@funecology.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/fune...
👀Behind the paper!👀
🌳Dr. Edith Singini shares her research into why some trees are winning the encroachment race and discusses the logistical demands of a year-long experiment🔬
Read it here👇
buff.ly/g0H9IRv
🧪🌍
🌳Dr. Edith Singini shares her research into why some trees are winning the encroachment race and discusses the logistical demands of a year-long experiment🔬
Read it here👇
buff.ly/g0H9IRv
🧪🌍
Edith Singini | How rising CO2 reshapes savannas: Why some trees thrive while others struggle
In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Dr. Edith Singini, a lecturer at Rhodes University, delves into her new paper ‘Savanna tree species show contrasting acclimation responses t…
buff.ly
November 19, 2025 at 4:00 PM
👀Behind the paper!👀
🌳Dr. Edith Singini shares her research into why some trees are winning the encroachment race and discusses the logistical demands of a year-long experiment🔬
Read it here👇
buff.ly/g0H9IRv
🧪🌍
🌳Dr. Edith Singini shares her research into why some trees are winning the encroachment race and discusses the logistical demands of a year-long experiment🔬
Read it here👇
buff.ly/g0H9IRv
🧪🌍
Reposted by Functional Ecology
We're looking for a 6th Senior Editor!
If you…
👉are intrigued by the interface between ecology & biological resource management
👉are interested in contributing to the journal’s strategic vision
👉have editing experience
…we’d love to hear from you!
www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/seni...
If you…
👉are intrigued by the interface between ecology & biological resource management
👉are interested in contributing to the journal’s strategic vision
👉have editing experience
…we’d love to hear from you!
www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/seni...
Senior Editor for Journal of Applied Ecology - British Ecological Society
Join the editorial board on Journal of Applied Ecology! Apply by 21 Dec 2025.
www.britishecologicalsociety.org
November 19, 2025 at 1:25 PM
We're looking for a 6th Senior Editor!
If you…
👉are intrigued by the interface between ecology & biological resource management
👉are interested in contributing to the journal’s strategic vision
👉have editing experience
…we’d love to hear from you!
www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/seni...
If you…
👉are intrigued by the interface between ecology & biological resource management
👉are interested in contributing to the journal’s strategic vision
👉have editing experience
…we’d love to hear from you!
www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/seni...
📰Published📰Invasive goldenrods can lose or regain resistance to herbivores, with consequences for leaf decomposition🍃
buff.ly/r8Vf6vA
🧪🌍
buff.ly/r8Vf6vA
🧪🌍
Invasive goldenrods can lose or regain resistance to herbivores, with consequences for leaf decomposition
Noboru Katayama, Koya Hashimoto, Shunsuke Utsumi, Yoshino Ando, Makoto Tokuda, Shuhei Adachi-Fukunaga, Kevin Dixon, Timothy Craig, Takayuki Ohgushi This is a plain language summary of a Functional …
buff.ly
November 19, 2025 at 1:01 PM
📰Published📰Invasive goldenrods can lose or regain resistance to herbivores, with consequences for leaf decomposition🍃
buff.ly/r8Vf6vA
🧪🌍
buff.ly/r8Vf6vA
🧪🌍
📰Published📰Plant functional traits affect invertebrate predator diversity via bottom-up effects in a deadwood-based food web🕸️
buff.ly/1Mv2vMh
🧪🌍
buff.ly/1Mv2vMh
🧪🌍
Plant functional traits affect invertebrate predator diversity via bottom-up effects in a deadwood-based food web
Hang Ci, Chao Guo, Bi-Le Sai, Bin Tuo, Han-Tang Qin, Shou-Shuai Zhao, En-Rong Yan, J. Hans C. Cornelissen, Sebastian Seibold This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research articl…
buff.ly
November 19, 2025 at 9:00 AM
📰Published📰Plant functional traits affect invertebrate predator diversity via bottom-up effects in a deadwood-based food web🕸️
buff.ly/1Mv2vMh
🧪🌍
buff.ly/1Mv2vMh
🧪🌍
📰Published📰How energy acquisition and risk-taking by predators shape species interactions in a natural community🐦
buff.ly/0wYbK1Y
🧪🌍
buff.ly/0wYbK1Y
🧪🌍
How energy acquisition and risk-taking by predators shape species interactions in a natural community
Andréanne Beardsell, Frédéric Dulude-De-Broin, Gilles Gauthier, Dominique Gravel, Pierre Legagneux, John P. DeLong, Dominique Berteaux, Joël Bêty This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ec…
buff.ly
November 18, 2025 at 2:01 PM
📰Published📰How energy acquisition and risk-taking by predators shape species interactions in a natural community🐦
buff.ly/0wYbK1Y
🧪🌍
buff.ly/0wYbK1Y
🧪🌍
Reposted by Functional Ecology
We have a new paper out in @funecology.bsky.social
"High metabolic sensitivity to hot drought in two declining pine species with constrained physiology" besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
"High metabolic sensitivity to hot drought in two declining pine species with constrained physiology" besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
November 18, 2025 at 1:03 PM
We have a new paper out in @funecology.bsky.social
"High metabolic sensitivity to hot drought in two declining pine species with constrained physiology" besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
"High metabolic sensitivity to hot drought in two declining pine species with constrained physiology" besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Functional Ecology
🌿 A great review is more than just a summary or description of past research! They integrate existing studies in new ways to promote discussion & offer new ideas & directions in plant ecology 🌷
📰 Read more about our reviews in our latest blog post 👇
buff.ly/cgUBfSp
📰 Read more about our reviews in our latest blog post 👇
buff.ly/cgUBfSp
November 18, 2025 at 12:22 PM
🌿 A great review is more than just a summary or description of past research! They integrate existing studies in new ways to promote discussion & offer new ideas & directions in plant ecology 🌷
📰 Read more about our reviews in our latest blog post 👇
buff.ly/cgUBfSp
📰 Read more about our reviews in our latest blog post 👇
buff.ly/cgUBfSp
📰Published📰Snake oil in action: geographic and seasonal variability in epidermal lipids shape evaporative water loss in snakes🐍
buff.ly/UYFWDmZ
🧪🌍
buff.ly/UYFWDmZ
🧪🌍
Snake oil in action: geographic and seasonal variability in epidermal lipids shape evaporative water loss in snakes
Shahar Dubiner, Noa Kenar, Noa Lavi Shasha, Taly Lapidot Cohen, Yariv Brotman, Shai Meiri, Eran Levin This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found he…
buff.ly
November 18, 2025 at 12:00 PM
📰Published📰Snake oil in action: geographic and seasonal variability in epidermal lipids shape evaporative water loss in snakes🐍
buff.ly/UYFWDmZ
🧪🌍
buff.ly/UYFWDmZ
🧪🌍
📰Published📰An active metabolic response in trees with constrained physiology characterizes pine forest decline under climate change🌲
buff.ly/YfoM0Db
🧪🌍
buff.ly/YfoM0Db
🧪🌍
An active metabolic response in trees with constrained physiology characterizespine forest decline under climate change
Guillermo Gea-Izquierdo, María B. Fernández de Simón, David Sánchez-Gómez, Dario Martin-Benito, Antonio J. Pérez-Luque, Iria Muiño, Ismael Aranda This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ec…
buff.ly
November 18, 2025 at 10:00 AM
📰Published📰An active metabolic response in trees with constrained physiology characterizes pine forest decline under climate change🌲
buff.ly/YfoM0Db
🧪🌍
buff.ly/YfoM0Db
🧪🌍
Reposted by Functional Ecology
Don't forget to register for our next MEE live!
Join the authors of ‘DNA Divers: Volunteer-based eDNA capture for local and global marine biodiversity monitoring’ for this free online webinar! ⭐ 🌍 🧪
Find out more and register 👇
buff.ly/wNIpIWm
Join the authors of ‘DNA Divers: Volunteer-based eDNA capture for local and global marine biodiversity monitoring’ for this free online webinar! ⭐ 🌍 🧪
Find out more and register 👇
buff.ly/wNIpIWm
November 18, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Don't forget to register for our next MEE live!
Join the authors of ‘DNA Divers: Volunteer-based eDNA capture for local and global marine biodiversity monitoring’ for this free online webinar! ⭐ 🌍 🧪
Find out more and register 👇
buff.ly/wNIpIWm
Join the authors of ‘DNA Divers: Volunteer-based eDNA capture for local and global marine biodiversity monitoring’ for this free online webinar! ⭐ 🌍 🧪
Find out more and register 👇
buff.ly/wNIpIWm
📖Cover Stories📖
📙Dr Lori Neuman-Lee shares the story behind the cover of Volume 29, Issue 11 of Functional Ecology, published in 2015!
🐍Lori discusses the challenges of snapping snakes in the field (and in the third trimester!) and her research journey since then
buff.ly/IycDaiM
🧪🌍
📙Dr Lori Neuman-Lee shares the story behind the cover of Volume 29, Issue 11 of Functional Ecology, published in 2015!
🐍Lori discusses the challenges of snapping snakes in the field (and in the third trimester!) and her research journey since then
buff.ly/IycDaiM
🧪🌍
Cover Stories: Dr. Lori Neuman-Lee
Dr. Lori Neuman-Lee, professor at Arkansas State University, discusses the story behind the cover for Volume 29, Issue 11 of Functional Ecology, published all the way back in 2015. Lori is a compar…
buff.ly
November 14, 2025 at 3:00 PM
📖Cover Stories📖
📙Dr Lori Neuman-Lee shares the story behind the cover of Volume 29, Issue 11 of Functional Ecology, published in 2015!
🐍Lori discusses the challenges of snapping snakes in the field (and in the third trimester!) and her research journey since then
buff.ly/IycDaiM
🧪🌍
📙Dr Lori Neuman-Lee shares the story behind the cover of Volume 29, Issue 11 of Functional Ecology, published in 2015!
🐍Lori discusses the challenges of snapping snakes in the field (and in the third trimester!) and her research journey since then
buff.ly/IycDaiM
🧪🌍
📰Published📰Sprouting as a functional trait enhancing survival of woody plants during early life stages🌱
buff.ly/dLLFRNW
🧪🌍
buff.ly/dLLFRNW
🧪🌍
Sprouting as a functional trait enhancing survival of woody plants during early life stages
Chen-Yue Shi, Hong-Tu Zhang, Zhiyao Tang This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Sprouters refer to woody plants that produce sprouts from…
buff.ly
November 14, 2025 at 12:00 PM
📰Published📰Sprouting as a functional trait enhancing survival of woody plants during early life stages🌱
buff.ly/dLLFRNW
🧪🌍
buff.ly/dLLFRNW
🧪🌍
📰Published📰Tree age and maximum height affect leaf drip-tip length in Amazonian rainforest trees🌳
buff.ly/RqRazf9
🧪🌍
buff.ly/RqRazf9
🧪🌍
Tree Age and Maximum Height Affect Leaf Drip-Tip Length in Amazonian Rainforest Trees
Emma C. Grover, Margaret R. Metz, Renato Valencia, Simon A. Queenborough This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Many Amazonian rain fores…
buff.ly
November 13, 2025 at 4:15 PM
📰Published📰Tree age and maximum height affect leaf drip-tip length in Amazonian rainforest trees🌳
buff.ly/RqRazf9
🧪🌍
buff.ly/RqRazf9
🧪🌍
📰Published📰Bruised but popular: insect damage boosts fruit appeal in the Mediterranean dwarf palm🌴
buff.ly/xOhiNVl
🧪🌍
buff.ly/xOhiNVl
🧪🌍
Bruised but popular: insect damage boosts fruit appeal in the Mediterranean dwarf palm
Raquel Muñoz-Gallego, Anna Traveset, Jose M. Fedriani This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Animals such as birds and mammals eat the fl…
buff.ly
November 13, 2025 at 2:15 PM
📰Published📰Bruised but popular: insect damage boosts fruit appeal in the Mediterranean dwarf palm🌴
buff.ly/xOhiNVl
🧪🌍
buff.ly/xOhiNVl
🧪🌍
Reposted by Functional Ecology
Watch Applied Ecology Resource's recent live talk 'Restoring Resilience: Lessons from the Buffelsdraai Reforestation Project in Durban, South Africa' 🌱
🎥: buff.ly/e0mvuNQ
Sign up to our next one on the 18th Nov, 2pm GMT 👇
buff.ly/hLArtmy
🌍🧪
🎥: buff.ly/e0mvuNQ
Sign up to our next one on the 18th Nov, 2pm GMT 👇
buff.ly/hLArtmy
🌍🧪
AER Live – Restoring Resilience: Lessons from the Buffelsdraai Reforestation Project in Durban
The Buffelsdraai Reforestation Project, led by eThekwini Municipality, is one of South Africa’s flagship urban ecosystem restoration initiatives. Begun in 2009 as a carbon-offset initiative, for the…
buff.ly
November 12, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Watch Applied Ecology Resource's recent live talk 'Restoring Resilience: Lessons from the Buffelsdraai Reforestation Project in Durban, South Africa' 🌱
🎥: buff.ly/e0mvuNQ
Sign up to our next one on the 18th Nov, 2pm GMT 👇
buff.ly/hLArtmy
🌍🧪
🎥: buff.ly/e0mvuNQ
Sign up to our next one on the 18th Nov, 2pm GMT 👇
buff.ly/hLArtmy
🌍🧪