Category: Plant and soil ecology

Agriculture, Plant and soil ecology, Research summaries

Cover crop mixtures enhance multiple ecosystem functions: A global meta-analysis

In this blog post, Yunhui Liu and team share insights from their recent global meta-analysis on how cover crop mixtures can enhance agricultural sustainability by promoting multiple ecosystem functions. As agriculture faces growing challenges from climate change and land degradation, cover crops are increasingly recognized as an essential tool for improving soil health and farm resilience. While the use of single-species cover crops is well … Continue reading Cover crop mixtures enhance multiple ecosystem functions: A global meta-analysis

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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, 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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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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Careers, Forests, Plant and soil ecology, Research summaries

Lijun Chen: Integrating variation in bacterial-fungal co-occurrence network with soil carbon dynamics

Shortlisted for the 2024 Southwood Prize Lijun Chen explores how bacterial-fungal interactions mediate soil organic carbon dynamics in the context of artificial forest ecosystems. About the research Overview Eucalyptus is one of the most widely planted tree species worldwide. It has been demostrated that long-term short-rotation practices of eucalyptus induced to declining of soil organic carbon content and ecosystem services capacity. Exploring the patterns of … Continue reading Lijun Chen: Integrating variation in bacterial-fungal co-occurrence network with soil carbon dynamics

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Invasive species, Plant and soil ecology, Research summaries

Early detection for invading tree pests: Targeted surveillance and stakeholder perspectives

Vasthi Alonso Chávez discusses how early detection of the emerald ash borer, responsible for the death of millions of ash trees in the United States, Canada, Russia and Eastern Europe, is essential for effective control. The growing volume of trade and travel across continents has accelerated the movement and introduction of pests and pathogens into regions outside their native range causing unprecedented ecological and economic … Continue reading Early detection for invading tree pests: Targeted surveillance and stakeholder perspectives

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

Detección temprana de plagas invasoras en árboles: Vigilancia optimizada y perspectivas sociológicas

Vasthi Alonso Chávez analiza cómo la detección temprana del barrenador esmeralda del fresno, responsable de la muerte de millones de fresnos en Estados Unidos, Canadá, Rusia y Europa del Este, es esencial para un control efectivo. El creciente volumen global del comercio y movimiento de árboles y sus productos, ha acelerado el transporte e introducción de plagas y enfermedades en regiones fuera de su área … Continue reading Detección temprana de plagas invasoras en árboles: Vigilancia optimizada y perspectivas sociológicas

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Plant and soil ecology, Research summaries

A stark warning for UK blanket bog

Jonny Ritson talks us through the latest modelling study, conducted alongside colleagues, aiming to determine how suitable future conditions will be for both peat accumulation and Sphagnum survival in the UK. Bioclimatic envelope models have been used as a tool to map the climate conditions under which specific habitats occur. By defining the conditions suitable for peat formation, for example, we can then use projections of future … Continue reading A stark warning for UK blanket bog

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Forests, Monitoring and methods, Plant and soil ecology, Research summaries, Restoration

Remote sensing: A key to monitoring tropical forest restoration

Laura Vedovato introduces readers to a range of remote sensing tools, explaining how they can be applied to topical forests to monitor the effectiveness of restoration efforts. Read more in the original Review article. Introduction In recent years, global commitments to forest restoration, like the UN Decade on Restoration and the Global Biodiversity Framework, have highlighted the need for scalable, effective ways to track progress. … Continue reading Remote sensing: A key to monitoring tropical forest restoration

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