Author: Journal of Applied Ecology

Grasslands, Invasive species, Research summaries

Fire season and drought influence fire effects on invasive grasses

In this Q&A, we discussed with author Charlotte Reemts the background behind her team’s recently published meta-analysis focused on invasive bluestems. Why study this group of grasses? Warm-season grasses from these two genera (Bothriochloa and Dichanthium) are interesting because they are important species in their native ranges but have also been introduced into other grasslands around the world. In many grasslands around the world, you … Continue reading Fire season and drought influence fire effects on invasive grasses

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Forests, Plant and soil ecology, Research summaries, Restoration

The potential of second-growth forests for bird diversity in a small holder landscape

Mareike Kortmann and co-authors share a summary about their latest study which focusses on the ability of sample coverage to impact diversity measures of bird communities in tropical lowland forests. Tropical old-growth forests are disappearing at an alarming rate, leading to concerning biodiversity loss. But amidst this global decline, some forest areas are also recovering. Second-growth forests—those that regenerate after agricultural use—may offer valuable contributions … Continue reading The potential of second-growth forests for bird diversity in a small holder landscape

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Careers, Invasive species, Journal news, Plant and soil ecology, The Applied Ecologist community

Southwood Prize 2024: Winner announced for early career researcher award

Journal of Applied Ecology is happy to share that Agostina Torres is the winner of this year’s Southwood Prize! This annual award is given to the best article in the journal by an author at the start of their career. This year, Agostina was selected by the Senior Editors amid an impressive shortlist of 10 articles. Winner: Agostina Torres Research: Inverse priority effects: The order and timing of removal … Continue reading Southwood Prize 2024: Winner announced for early career researcher award

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Careers, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

Maja Bradarić: Forecasting nocturnal bird migration for dynamic aeroconservation

Shortlisted for the 2024 Southwood Prize Maja Bradarić details how, alongside colleagues, utilising radar data, weather and phenological variables allowed for the development of seasonal near-term forecasts of low-altitude nocturnal bird migration over the southern North Sea. About the research Overview Our research explores environmental drivers and spatiotemporal patterns of nocturnal bird migration over the North Sea to predict migration intensity for conservation frameworks. The … Continue reading Maja Bradarić: Forecasting nocturnal bird migration for dynamic aeroconservation

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Careers, Forests, Research summaries

Ying Ki Law: The role of forests in landslide occurrence, recurrence and recovery

Shortlisted for the 2024 Southwood Prize Ying Ki Law explains how her team investigated post-landslide vegetation recovery patterns and the role of forests in occurrence and recurrence probability. About the research Overview Our paper examines how landslides recover and what factors influence their regrowth and landslide risk. While landslide management often focuses on engineering solutions, we emphasize the role of vegetation recovery in long-term stability. … Continue reading Ying Ki Law: The role of forests in landslide occurrence, recurrence and recovery

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Careers, Invasive species, Plant and soil ecology, Research summaries

Agostina Torres: The order and timing of removal of invasive species influence community reassembly

Shortlisted for the 2024 Southwood Prize Agostina Torres introduces us to her latest research which evaluated the dependence of community reassembly on inverse priority effects by experimentally removing the target invasives in field and mesocosm communities. About the research Overview The study emerged as part of my PhD doctorate. Along with my supervisors, Drs. Martin Nuñez and Mariano Rodriguez-Cabal, we were trying to understand why … Continue reading Agostina Torres: The order and timing of removal of invasive species influence community reassembly

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Agriculture, Careers, Research summaries

Janina Heinen: Diversified cropping strengthens herbivore regulation

Shortlisted for the 2024 Southwood Prize Janina Heinen talks us through her and colleagues’ latest study which explores how agricultural practices impact predation pressure across prey taxa. About the research Overview We explored predator-prey dynamics in agroecosystems by examining how carabid predator diet preferences shift throughout the crop growing season, and are influenced by the availability of prey under different agricultural management practices. By combining … Continue reading Janina Heinen: Diversified cropping strengthens herbivore regulation

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Careers, Research summaries, Restoration, Translation

Natália Medeiros: Deficiências críticas para a restauração de biomas gramíneas tropicais

Finalista do Prémio Southwood 2024 Natália Medeiros explica a sua mais recente investigação sobre biomas gramíneos tropicais, que envolveu a revisão da associação de técnicas de restauração e fontes de degradação, e a investigação da diversidade de indicadores usados para monitorizar os resultados da restauração. Sobre a pesquisa Visão geral Meu artigo pré-selecionado é sobre onde e como a restauração ecológica de ecossistemas tropicais ocorre. … Continue reading Natália Medeiros: Deficiências críticas para a restauração de biomas gramíneas tropicais

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Careers, Research summaries, Restoration

Natália Medeiros: Critical shortfalls for restoration of tropical grassy biomes

Shortlisted for the 2024 Southwood Prize Natália Medeiros explains their latest research into tropical grassy biomes, which involved reviewing the association of restoration techniques and degradation sources, and investigating the diversity of indicators used to monitor restoration outcomes. About the research Overview My shortlisted paper is about where and how ecological restoration of tropical open ecosystems occurs. We conducted a systematic review to map field … Continue reading Natália Medeiros: Critical shortfalls for restoration of tropical grassy biomes

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Careers, Plant and soil ecology, Pollinators, Research summaries

Kaixuan Pan: Dutch landscapes have lost insect-pollinated plants over the past 87  years

Shortlisted for the 2024 Southwood Prize Kaixuan Pan discusses recent research which assessed the changes in occurrences of plants pollinated by different modes, and explored the persistence of the observed changes under different environmental conditions. About the research Overview Our paper explores how plant communities in the Netherlands have changed over the past 87 years. By analyzing historical and contemporary vegetation data, we examined how … Continue reading Kaixuan Pan: Dutch landscapes have lost insect-pollinated plants over the past 87  years

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