Functional Ecologists

In this week’s blog post, the old saying remains the same; we are products of our environments! From their paper: “Functional trait interactions in a human-dominated world: Urbanization and reproduction in Eurasian red squirrels”, author Maria Vittoria Mazzamuto examines reproductive behavioural traits in Eurasian red squirrels to understand how they have adapted from forest to urban landscapes. …

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Paul Jans van Rensburg – a postdoctoral at Stellenbosch University – discusses his article “Pollinator diversity and host specificity in threatened Encephalartos cycads and their implications for co-extinction and species recovery“, which was recently published in Functional Ecology. Paul discusses the loss of specia…

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Manasa Kulkarni, discusses the paper ‘Developing together: the elementome and biogeochemical niche of the mutualistic occupants of a fig microcosm’, which was recently published in Functional Ecology! Manasa delves into the fascinating world of mutualisms, protecting study fig trees from pests, and the role that field work plays in inspiring new resear…

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Nick Gulotta – a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Georgia, USA – helps us get “familiar” with turkey behaviour! Discussing the article “To stay or to roam? Behavioural type influences trade-offs in male wild turkey survival“, Nick delves into how the benefits of familiarity for turkeys depend …

In this week’s blog post, we’re gearing up for a shift in seasons with author Grace Hirzel as we explore the behavioural changes in a temperate butterfly. Based on their paper: “Synchronous seasonal plasticity in colouration, behaviour, and visual gene expression in a wild butterfly population”, Grace shares with us how seasonal conditions impact behaviour and how animals perceive their env…

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Anina Coetzee – a lecturer at Nelson Mandela University, George campus, South Africa – shares the ‘buzz’ about bee avoidance in bird-pollinated flowers! Discussing the research article ‘Is bee-avoidance by bird-pollinated flowers driven by nectar robbing in Erica?‘, Anina delves into the bee-avoidance hyp…

In this week’s blog post, we’re climbing the ranks to understand strategic growth in invertebrates! Discussing their paper: “Game over: Conflict resolution through strategic growth in an invertebrate”, author Pooja Radhakrishnan reveals how a marine annelid worm establishes a size hierarchy to compete against individuals they interact with. Pooja helps us understand how social competition can dri…

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 understanding how plants interact with their environment. She is particularly fascinated by how plants and soil microbes interact, especially arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. What’s the best thing about your …

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Soumen Mallick – a Postdoctoral researcher at Field Station Fabrikschleichach, University of Würzburg – discusses the paper “Elevation reverses the effects of forest structure on folivory and leaf asymmetry“, which was recently published in Functional Ecology. Soumen shares how the team conducted large-scale forest e…

In this Behind the Paper blog post, author Elizabeth Telford – a postdoc at the the University of Sheffield – explores her research article N2 fixation is linked to the ability to encroach in African savanna trees. Elizabeth 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 …

In this ‘Behind the Paper’ blog post, author Manuel López-Aliste discusses the paper “Differential effects of agricultural expansion on wild bee taxonomic and functional diversity“, which was recently published in Functional Ecology. Manuel discusses how agricultural expansion affects the variety of bee traits, using an entomological collection to measure functional traits, and the importance of …

2025 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: Xiaojing Zhang discusses her paper “Mycelium biomass and community composition impact nutrient concentration in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at fine spatial scale“, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2025 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper Although AM fungi mediate nutrient exchange between plants and soil, how their own nutr…

2025 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: Alon Rapaport discusses his paper “Rapid and chemically diverse C transfer from trees to mycorrhizal fruit bodies in the forest“, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2025 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper Our research explores the transfer of carbon (C) from trees to ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) in forest ecosystems. Specifica…

2025 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: James Mouton discusses the paper “Behavioural co-option of plant secondary compounds by a cavity-nesting bird is an adaptation against competition and predation“, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2025 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper Plants and other organisms produce many unique chemical compounds that can be useful for …

2025 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: Nicole Walasek discusses her paper “The evolution of sensitive periods beyond early ontogeny: Bridging theory and data“, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2025 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper From bacteria to humans, all organisms tailor their traits to environmental demands. Such phenotypic plasticity tends to be highest…

2025 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: Michael Stemkovski discusses his paper “Ecological acclimation: A framework to integrate fast and slow responses to climate change“, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2025 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper Our paper presents “Ecological Acclimation” as a new conceptual framework to synthesize the various ways by which ecosy…

2025 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: João Vitor Messeder discusses the paper “Rethinking the role of colour in avian fruit choices and foraging mechanisms“, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2025 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper Whether in a supermarket or hiking in the tropics, you may have wondered about the amazing diversity of fleshy fruits. Similarly, ec…

2025 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: Kentaro Takagi discusses the paper “Realized flower constancy in bumble bees: Optimal foraging strategy balancing cognitive and travel costs and its possible consequences for floral diversity“, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2025 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers About the Paper Have you ever stopped to watch a pollinator moving among th…

2025 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: Marion Boisseaux, discusses her paper ‘Shifting trait coordination along a soil-moisture-nutrient gradient in tropical forests’, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2025 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the paper Within the framework of the niche theory, the environment acts as a filter, and selects for species in a local community. T…

2025 HALDANE PRIZE SHORTLIST: Haldane Prize 2025 | Jiangnan Li discusses the paper “Linking rock outcrop size and distance to soil multifunctionality in mountain ecosystems“, which has been shortlisted for Functional Ecology’s 2025 Haldane Prize for Early Career Researchers. About the Paper In our paper, we investigate how rock outcrop size and distance influence soil multifunctionality in mounta…