Research summaries

Field Diaries: Weaving knowledge to revive indigenous plants and practices in Mpondoland, South Africa

In our ‘Field Diaries’ series, The Applied Ecologist is sharing stories from a range of different fieldwork experiences.  About the author Mallika Sardeshpande, She/her Affiliation: Ecology interests: Agroecology, Urban ecology, Green infrastructure Overview of fieldwork In 2024, I secured my first applied project grant, to work on indigenous agroforestry in the Mpondoland Centre of Endemism in South Africa. The project was a collaboration between the indigenous people’s … Continue reading Field Diaries: Weaving knowledge to revive indigenous plants and practices in Mpondoland, South Africa

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Plant and soil ecology, Research summaries

What’s hiding beneath our feet? A new way to sample life in dryland soils

By Walter R Jubber, Andrea Fuller, Maria Paniw Drylands cover over 40% of Earth’s land surface. When we think about biodiversity in drylands, we often picture aboveground shrubs, flowers sprouting after rain, grazing animals, and maybe insects scurrying across the surface. But a key adaptation to extreme temperatures and aridity, especially for invertebrates, is spending most of their life below ground. Soil invertebrates hidden below … Continue reading What’s hiding beneath our feet? A new way to sample life in dryland soils

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Research summaries

Prawns and crayfish as biocontrol agents against disease-transmitting freshwater snails

Moscovitz et al. share their experience comparing between predation preferences of a prawn and a crayfish over four species of snails which are aquacultural pests, explaining the observed preferences – or lack thereof – by quantifying snail traits. Freshwater snails are tiny – but in aquaculture systems, they loom large. In fishponds around the world, snails act as intermediate hosts for parasitic trematodes that harm … Continue reading Prawns and crayfish as biocontrol agents against disease-transmitting freshwater snails

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Plain language summaries, Research summaries

When fire meets warming: Managing mountain grasslands in a hotter world

Fire has shaped mountain grasslands for thousands of years and remains essential for keeping them healthy. But as the climate warms, we need to understand how rising temperatures and fire together will affect these ecosystems. In our study, we tested how warming and different fire frequencies interact in the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa. In 2017, we added small open top chambers to a long-running … Continue reading When fire meets warming: Managing mountain grasslands in a hotter world

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Research summaries

Can rule-based mapping support nature recovery planning?

Reliable habitat maps sit at the heart of biodiversity monitoring, natural capital accounting and nature recovery planning. Recent policy developments in the UK have made this even more important. The UK Land Use Framework highlights the need for a coherent national land-use evidence base and better integration of spatial data across sectors. However, producing consistent habitat maps at large scales is not straightforward. Field surveys … Continue reading Can rule-based mapping support nature recovery planning?

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Plain language summaries, Research summaries

Biodiversity in soil seedbanks remains high after low-intensity fire

Prescribed burning is the act of intentionally burning an ecosystem and is used in fire-prone regions around the world to manage fuel loads or conserve biodiversity. Some ecosystems experience fires that are too hot or occur too frequently, while other areas suffer from a lack of fire. Prescribed burning at the right intensity and frequency can help minimise the risk of wildfire while also promoting … Continue reading Biodiversity in soil seedbanks remains high after low-intensity fire

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Plain language summaries, Research summaries

Creating small clearings helps herbivores keep trees from taking over savannas

In many parts of the world, grasslands and savannas are being taken over by trees. This change reduces biodiversity and alters how these ecosystems work. We wanted to test a simple, low-cost way to slow this process and help restore open grassy areas. In our study, we created small clearings (“glades”) by cutting trees in a heavily wooded savanna in South Africa. We compared these … Continue reading Creating small clearings helps herbivores keep trees from taking over savannas

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Research summaries

Conservation is becoming more evidence-based, but it still has a long way to go

Written by Alec Christie, Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London. For more than two decades, conservationists have been encouraged to use the best available evidence to inform their decisions – a concept called ‘Evidence-based Conservation’. The idea is simple: rather than relying only on personal experience, tradition, or intuition, practitioners should draw on evidence from the wider literature and other forms of knowledge to … Continue reading Conservation is becoming more evidence-based, but it still has a long way to go

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Plain language summaries, Research summaries

Species lists can mislead: Island management should map species interactions

Seed dispersal is essential for plant regeneration, especially on islands where many plants rely on animals to move seeds to safe places to survive. But because this process is hard to observe directly, conservation decisions often fall back on easier measures such as species counts. This can be misleading, because ecosystems are not only defined by the species they contain, but also by the relationships … Continue reading Species lists can mislead: Island management should map species interactions

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Plain language summaries, Research summaries

Grazing intensity, duration, and regime and livestock type modulate soil microbiota responses

Grasslands account for approximately 40% of the Earth’s land area and are the largest natural ecosystem apart from forests. Livestock grazing is currently the most important human activity in grasslands, with a persistent and strong impact on both the aboveground plant community and underground organisms. Soil microbiota are the most numerous, most diverse, and functionally crucial biological group on the planet. Among them, microbes and … Continue reading Grazing intensity, duration, and regime and livestock type modulate soil microbiota responses

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