Tag: ecosystem function

Research summaries

Lessons in how to restore a wetland ecosystem

In this post David Moreno Mateos discusses his paper ‘Ecosystem response to interventions: lessons from restored and created wetland ecosystems’ After over 30 years and billions of dollars (and euros, pounds, and yuans) of restoring wetlands globally, and especially in the USA, the time has come to evaluate the results, and particularly to find out how wetlands are responding to our efforts. The results found … Continue reading Lessons in how to restore a wetland ecosystem

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Research summaries

Early warning indicators in aquatic ecosystems

In this post Craig Allen and Hannah Birge discuss a paper from Sarah Burthe and colleagues ‘Do early warning indicators consistently predict nonlinear change in long-term ecological data?’ Complex systems of humans and nature rarely change in gradual, expected ways. Instead, changes often occur suddenly, with major, non-linear losses of human and ecological capital. Once these unexpected changes occur, it can be difficult to restore … Continue reading Early warning indicators in aquatic ecosystems

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The role of subordinate plant species in supporting soil food web stability

In this post Associate Editor Paul Kardol discusses a paper he recently handled by Yuanhu Shao and colleagues ‘Subordinate plants sustain the complexity and stability of soil micro-food webs in natural bamboo forest ecosystems’ Is it the dominant plant species that rule the system? Some theories suggest so. But, the idea that only the dominants are important is too simplistic and there is increasing evidence … Continue reading The role of subordinate plant species in supporting soil food web stability

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Research summaries

Defining a successful river restoration project

In this post Associate Editor Tadeu Siqueira discusses a paper he recently handled by Daniel Hering and colleagues ‘Contrasting the roles of section length and instream habitat enhancement for river restoration success: a field study of 20 European restoration projects’ Streams and rivers are among the most degraded ecosystems in the world. In comparison to oceans, these ecosystems contain a tiny portion of the total … Continue reading Defining a successful river restoration project

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Making the most of pollinators to improve and predict crop yields

In this post Lucas Garibaldi discusses his recent Review article ‘Trait matching of flower visitors and crops predicts fruit set better than trait diversity‘ Sustainable management of agroecosystems is a global challenge, with more than 35 % of the Earth’s land area covered by farmland. It has been suggested that species diversity is critical for sustainability because it increases the level and stability of agroecosystem … Continue reading Making the most of pollinators to improve and predict crop yields

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Using phylogenetics to guide local management

In this post Associate Editor Akira Mori discusses a paper he recently handled by Daniel Larkin and colleagues ‘Phylogenetic measures of plant communities show long-term change and impacts of fire management in tallgrass prairie remnants’ Evaluating biological diversity is now often one of the major issues for local and regional environmental management. Numerous efforts have been made to record, monitor, and evaluate the state of … Continue reading Using phylogenetics to guide local management

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Forest management adaptation to climate change alters soil macro-detritivore functional diversity and soil functioning

In this post Ludovic Henneron discusses his recent paper ‘Forest management adaptation to climate change: a Cornelian dilemma between drought resistance and soil macro-detritivore functional diversity‘ Climate change is a major threat for world’s forests. Hence, an increasing number of climate-induced forest die-offs are expected to occur in the future as a result of more frequent and intense droughts. This could greatly alter ecosystem services … Continue reading Forest management adaptation to climate change alters soil macro-detritivore functional diversity and soil functioning

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ExStream study assesses stream ecosystem functioning: the effects of climate warming & multiple agricultural stressors

In this post Jeremy Piggott discusses his recent paper with colleagues Dev K. Niyogi, Colin R. Townsend and Christoph D. Matthaei ‘Multiple stressors and stream ecosystem functioning: climate warming and agricultural stressors interact to affect processing of organic matter’ Measures of organic matter processing have been proposed as indices of stream ecosystem function. However, to be meaningful for ecosystem management, functional responses must be informed … Continue reading ExStream study assesses stream ecosystem functioning: the effects of climate warming & multiple agricultural stressors

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The development of fencing policies and its relevance to the Convention of Migratory Species

In this post, Sarah M. Durant and Roseline C. Beudels-Jamar write about their article ‘Developing fencing policies for dryland ecosystems’, which is the first Policy Direction article for the Journal of Applied Ecology. Policy Directions are a new article type relating to policy implementation and decision making. The focus of these articles is to inform and improve policy over a wide range of subjects by … Continue reading The development of fencing policies and its relevance to the Convention of Migratory Species

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Research summaries

To fence or not to fence, that is the question

In this post Executive Editor, Marc Cadotte discusses the first Policy Direction article ‘Developing fencing policies for dryland ecosystems’ for the Journal of Applied Ecology. Policy Directions are a new article type relating to policy implementation and decision making. The focus of these articles is to inform and improve policy over a wide range of subjects by providing a broader policy context for the topic and … Continue reading To fence or not to fence, that is the question

Unknown's avatarJournal of Applied Ecology1 Comment