Research stories: How to (almost) double woodland carbon overnight

How much carbon is stored in the aboveground biomass (AGB) of Wytham Woods aka the ‘most studied forest in the world’? Professors Mat Disney and Kim Calders thought this would be very well-known but were surprised to find this perhaps wasn’t the case after all. They discuss how their team approached their latest research. Over the years, a number of studies have estimated the carbon … Continue reading Research stories: How to (almost) double woodland carbon overnight

Weighing-in: universally applicable biometric conversion equations to support comparative assessment of invasive freshwater bivalves

Invasive bivalves continue to detrimentally impact freshwater ecosystems worldwide, with their ecological effects often being standardised by body size or biomass measurements. In their latest research, Coughlan and colleagues aim to derive universally applicable conversion equations to support reliable comparative assessment of bivalve driven ecological effects. As dominant filter-feeders, most bivalves’ ecological impacts are a result of their filtration or particle clearance rates (i.e. the … Continue reading Weighing-in: universally applicable biometric conversion equations to support comparative assessment of invasive freshwater bivalves

Einsatz von Rotwild zur Erhaltung ökologisch wertvollen Grasslands

Kommentare zu einem neuen Artikel von Frederike Riesch et al. Von Jana Eccard und Annabel Smith. An version of this post is available in English here. Ökologisch wertvolles Offenland ist in Mitteleuropa oft durch historisch gewachsene Landnutzungsformen entstanden. Offene und Halboffene Flächen beinhalten zahlreiche seltene, streng geschützte Lebensraumtypen und sind Rückzugsräume für viele gefährdete Arten. Durch den Verlust solcher Landnutzungsformen wird heutzutage ein aktives Management zum … Continue reading Einsatz von Rotwild zur Erhaltung ökologisch wertvollen Grasslands

Editor’s Choice 56:6 -Wild and free: red deer grazing for conservation

Issue 56:6’s Editor’s Choice article demonstrates how a ‘hands-off’ approach and grazing by wild ungulates can be just as effective as livestock when it comes to managing grassland biomass – given the specific contexts are considered. Annabel Smith and Jana Eccard share highlights from the research by Friederike Riesch and colleagues, Grazing by wild red deer: Management options for the conservation of semi‐natural open habitats. … Continue reading Editor’s Choice 56:6 -Wild and free: red deer grazing for conservation

Diversity robustly suppresses weeds in intensive grassland systems – with multiple translations

John Connolly and team comment on their recent article, Weed suppression greatly increased by plant diversity in intensively managed grasslands: a continental-scale experiment. As well as this English summary, the team have provided a number of translations. Read the text in German, Dutch, Spanish, French, Icelandic, Italian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Catalan or Polish here . How can we get more from less use of natural resources in … Continue reading Diversity robustly suppresses weeds in intensive grassland systems – with multiple translations

Toward prediction in the restoration of biodiversity

Issue 54:4 of the Journal of Applied Ecology features a Special Feature, Toward prediction in the restoration of biodiversity. In the first of a series of blogs accompanying the feature, Guest Editor, Lars Brudvig introduces the work and the ecological ideas behind this collection of articles. By repairing ecosystems damaged through human activities, ecological restoration plays an important role in biodiversity conservation efforts. Furthermore, restoration … Continue reading Toward prediction in the restoration of biodiversity

Testament of cover crops – with Dutch translation

In this post, Janna Barel shares thoughts on the legacies plants leave, the benefits of cover crops and insights from her recent Journal of Applied Ecology paper, Legacy effects of diversity in space and time driven by winter cover crop biomass and nitrogen concentration. Janna has also included a Dutch translation of this post. Journal of Applied Ecology is dedicated to making papers more accessible and … Continue reading Testament of cover crops – with Dutch translation